Kenya - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Forecasts

Abstract

Overview

This annual report provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in Kenya' s telecommunications market.

Subjects covered include:

• Key statistics;
• Market and industry overviews;
• Regulatory environment and structural reform;
• Major players (fixed, mobile and broadband);
• Infrastructure development;
• Mobile voice and data markets, including 3G;
• ARPU trends;
• Internet development;
• Broadband, including 3G mobile;
• Convergence (voice/data, fixed/wireless/mobile).

Key highlights:

• Forecasts for Kenya' s mobile market for 2010 and 2015;
• Decreasing ARPU under intense competition between four mobile networks;
• Growing new revenue streams from mobile broadband and m-banking services;
• Arrival of international fibre bandwidth in 2009 will revolutionise the market;
• Competing national fibre backbones to enable converged voice, data and video services and lower prices;
• Profiles of major players in all market sectors;
• The rebirth of Telkom Kenya under the Orange brand;
• The emergence of new second-tier telcos.

The following notes provide some background to our scenario forecasting methodology:

• This report includes what we term scenario forecasts. By describing long-range scenarios we identify a band within which we expect market growth to occur. The associated text describes what we see as the most likely growth trend within this band.
• The projections shown in the tables in this report are based on our own historical information, as well as on telecommunication sector statistics from official and non-official, national and international sources. We assume a possible deviation of 15-20% around this data.
• All statistics for GDP, revenue, etc are shown in US$, in order to maintain consistency within and between markets. At the same time we acknowledge that this can introduce some irregularities.

For those needing high level strategic information and objective analysis on the telecommunications sector in Kenya, this report is essential reading and gives further information on:

• One of the most competitive mobile markets in the region;
• Government policies affecting the telecoms industry;
• Market liberalisation and regulatory issues;
• Telecoms operators - privatisation, acquisitions, new licences;
• Internet and broadband development and growth;
• 3G mobile broadband rollouts and pricing;
• Average Revenue per User (ARPU);
• The m-banking services shaking up the traditional banking sector.