Safaricom Emerges Top in CA Network Quality Rankings

Communications Authority of Kenya has reaffirmed Safaricom PLC as the country’s top-performing mobile network operator in its latest Quality-of-Service (QoS) report for the 2024–2025 financial year, even as the wider telecommunications sector records a decline in overall performance.

The regulator’s assessment, conducted under the QoS framework introduced in 2017, evaluated operators based on end-to-end network quality, network performance, and customer experience. 

The findings place Safaricom firmly ahead with an overall score of 89.72 percent, significantly above the 80 percent regulatory threshold.

In comparison, Airtel Kenya posted a score of 81.14 percent, just above compliance, while Telkom Kenya lagged behind at 52.76 percent, failing to meet the required standards.

Safaricom also topped the critical end-to-end network quality metric—considered a key indicator of real user experience—with a score of 90.36 percent. It further distinguished itself as the only operator to meet quality targets across all five regional clusters, signaling consistent nationwide service delivery.

The report reveals that both Safaricom and Airtel achieved a perfect 100 percent score in network performance, but disparities emerged in customer experience and regional consistency, where Safaricom maintained a clear edge.

 Customer satisfaction stood at 70 percent for Safaricom, compared to 68.4 percent for Airtel and 60 percent for Telkom.

Despite these strong individual performances, the Communications Authority flagged a worrying trend across the sector, noting a steady decline in overall service quality over the past four years. The drop has been attributed to increasing demand for data services, which continues to strain existing infrastructure.

Against this backdrop, Safaricom’s performance stands out as a sign of resilience, underpinned by sustained investment in network expansion and service quality. The regulator emphasized that the results are independently verified, lending credibility to the findings.

The report positions Safaricom as the benchmark for network quality in Kenya, highlighting its ability to deliver reliable and consistent connectivity at a national scale. At the same time, it signals growing pressure on rival operators to enhance infrastructure and improve customer experience as the country’s digital economy continues to expand.