Airtel Networks Limited customers spent more time on a single on-net call averaging 2.8 minutes compared to users on other networks. Thus, it appears Airtel customers prefer on-net calls as they spent the least time on a single off-net call averaging 1.0 minutes. This is according to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) report for the fourth quarter of 2022/2023.
The term ‘On-Net’ is used when a call or message comes from a single network operator and goes to another mobile number that resides with the same operator. On the other hand, ‘Off-Net’ applies if a call is from a specific network and terminates at a number that resides with a different network provider.
During the reference period, the average minutes per on-net and off-net calls remained at 1.7 and 1.1, respectively. Jamii Telcom users average the most minutes per off-net call with 1.4 minutes. They are followed by Equitel and Telkom clients who both averaged 1.3 minutes while Safaricom customers averaged 1.2 minutes on off-net calls.
In general, mobile users in Kenya prefer on-net calls. With the exception of Jamii Telcom, the average minutes for single on-net calls are higher than for off-net calls. Safaricom customers averaged 1.5 minutes, Telkom customers averaged 1.6 minutes, and Equitel customers 2.2 minutes. Coming in a distant last is Jamii Telcom with 0.1 minutes.
With the closest competitor averaging 2.2 minutes on on-net calls, Airtel Kenya stands clear of all the competitors with customers averaging 2.8 minutes. Safaricom customers seem to balance their calls as the gap is small between 1.5 minutes and 1.2 minutes off-net. This is the same for Telkom Kenya customers who also have a gap of 0.3 minutes.
Safaricom Dominates Total On-Net Traffic
In terms of traffic, Safaricom dominates. 13,171,605,713 On-net voice calls were made on the network during the period ending June. Airtel has 5,116,311,857, Telkom 167,904, 788, Equitel 2,075,384, and Jamii Telcom with 49,335. In total, 18,457,947,07 on-voice calls were made during the fourth quarter.
For SMS, the total volume declined to 12.4 billion from 13.7 billion messages reported in the previous quarter. However, the cumulative local SMS traffic for the fiscal year grew by 18.4 percent to stand at 52.4 billion.
