Ookla, the company concerned with global network intelligence testing and analysis, has released its 2021 third-quarter internet performance report on the state of Kenya’s mobile and fixed networks.
This data is courtesy of their popular Speedtest intelligence tool, which ranks and offers insight through consumer-initiated tests on their mobile or fixed networks.
At a glance:
- Mobile provider Safaricom had the highest Speed Score (29.20) and Consistency Score (85.0%) in Kenya during Q3 2021.
- For fixed broadband, Faiba had the highest Speed Score (26.47) and Consistency Score (48.7%) in Kenya for the second quarter in a row during Q3 2021.
- Mombasa had the fastest mean mobile download and upload speeds among Kenya’s most populous cities at 28.25 Mbps and 16.26 Mbps, respectively.
- Mombasa overtook Eldoret as the city with the fastest median fixed broadband download speed at 22.61 Mbps during Q3 2021.
Kenya’s Global Performance
In mobile network performance, Kenya ranks 111th in the world with average download speeds of 22.14Mbps and 13.50Mbps in uploads.
While upload speeds and latency (delay time) match up with the global average, we rank way below the 63.15mbps that is the world average downloading speeds.
Things get thicker in the fixed broadband rankings where the global average download speed is 113.25Mbps, with Kenya’s 19.35Mbps average placing it at position 146.
Local Market Performance-Mobile Internet
A metric system by Ookla called Speed Score shows that in the third quarter of 2021, Safaricom still leads as the fastest mobile operator since the first quarter.
Fast speeds ought to be accompanied by a consistent experience for the customers to enjoy the network’s quality, and that’s where consistency scores come in.
Safaricom also tops the consistency with 85.0% of results showing at least a 5 Mbps minimum download speed and 1 Mbps minimum upload speed.
Faiba and Telkom trail the above rankings, but flip the switch on latency speeds where Faiba has the lowest delay time of 23ms, leaving Safaricom and Airtel with the highest mean latency in that order.
An analysis of performance on some of the fastest phones in Kenya demonstrated the iPhones X through iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G ruled the top 5 with the fastest mean download speeds.
To enjoy these speeds, Mombasa would be the best place to head out to, as it showed the fastest mean mobile download speed among Kenya’s most populous cities during Q3 2021, at 28.25 Mbps.
Local Market Performance-Fixed Broadband
Faiba rules every category in the category of fixed broadband internet in Kenya, being the fastest provider with a speed score of 26.47, and still the most consistent in the market with 48.7% of results showing at least a 25 Mbps minimum download speed and 3 Mbps minimum upload speed.
Bluestreaks Network comes in second in speeds, Safaricom trailing a distant third. Across the board from mobile internet to fixed broadband, Faiba users still bear the least latency.
To get the best upload speeds for fixed broadband, you need to be in Nairobi to get an average of 20.66Mbps. Mombasa showed the fastest mean download speed here, at 22.61 Mbps.
