Safaricom Tops Network Quality Rankings in Latest Communications Authority Report
By Njeri Irungu,
2nd April 2026,
Nairobi, Kenya.
Communications Authority of Kenya has ranked Safaricom PLC as the country’s top-performing mobile network operator in its latest Quality-of-Service (QoS) assessment for the 2024–2025 financial year, reaffirming the telco’s dominance in service delivery and reliability.
The annual report, which evaluates mobile operators based on network performance, customer experience, and end-to-end service delivery, places Safaricom well ahead of its competitors. The operator recorded an overall QoS score of 89.72 per cent—comfortably above the regulatory threshold of 80 per cent. Airtel Kenya followed with 81.14 per cent, while Telkom Kenya lagged significantly at 52.76 per cent, falling short of compliance requirements.
The assessment, conducted under a framework established in 2017, combines technical testing—including drive and walk tests—with network performance data and customer satisfaction surveys. This multi-layered approach provides a comprehensive picture of how operators perform both technically and from the user’s perspective.
Safaricom emerged as the strongest performer across key metrics, particularly in end-to-end network quality, where it scored 90.36 per cent—the highest among all operators. It also stood out as the only provider to meet quality targets across all five regional clusters, highlighting its consistency in delivering services nationwide.
In contrast, Airtel Kenya met targets in just two out of five regions, while Telkom Kenya failed to achieve the required standards in any region assessed.
The report comes at a time when the telecommunications sector is experiencing mounting pressure, with the regulator noting a steady decline in overall industry performance over the past four years. This trend has largely been attributed to surging data demand and increasing strain on network infrastructure.
Despite these challenges, Safaricom maintained strong performance levels, including the highest customer satisfaction rating at 70 per cent. This places it slightly ahead of Airtel Kenya at 68.4 per cent and Telkom Kenya at 60 per cent, even as consumer experience across the industry shows signs of decline.
On network performance, both Safaricom and Airtel Kenya achieved perfect scores of 100 per cent, while Telkom Kenya recorded 60 per cent, further widening the gap between the operators.
The findings underscore Safaricom’s continued investment in infrastructure and service delivery, which appears to be paying off amid a rapidly evolving digital landscape. As Kenya’s digital economy expands, the regulator’s report positions the company as setting the pace for quality and reliability in mobile connectivity.
With competitors under increasing pressure to improve performance and close the gap, the latest assessment signals a widening divide in service quality, placing the spotlight firmly on the need for sustained investment across the sector.
