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Rwanda overtakes Tanzania, Kenya in cheap broadband internet race
What the satellite providers and other alternative internet service providers bring to the market is the freedom to choose.
What you need to know:
- Tanzania, which led the pack last year, saw its average cost rise to $43.44 (Sh5,632) up from $42.31 (Sh5,485) pushing it to the second position, while Kenya’s costs dropped marginally from $49.13 to $47.73 (Sh6,188) resulting in the country holding the third position this year.
Rwanda now offers the cheapest broadband internet in the East African Community bloc, leapfrogging Kenya and Tanzania, a new report shows.
New data published by British technology research firm Cable shows that netizens in the Paul Kagame-led country are paying a monthly average of $43.22 (Sh5,603) for fixed broadband connection this year down from the $60.96 (Sh7,904) that was charged last year, marking a 29.1 percent year-on-year drop.
Tanzania, which led the pack last year, saw its average cost rise to $43.44 (Sh5,632) up from $42.31 (Sh5,485) pushing it to the second position, while Kenya’s costs dropped marginally from $49.13 to $47.73 (Sh6,188) resulting in the country holding the third position this year.
Burundi has the highest charges in the region at $304.57 (Sh39,490) which is a drop from last year’s $383.79 (Sh49,604) followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) whose average pricing has dropped to $170.97 (Sh22,097) from $193.46 (Sh25,004) last year.
Citizens in Somalia and Uganda are this year paying a monthly average of $54.58 (Sh7,054) and $52.59 (Sh6,797) from $52.50 (Sh6,785) and $58.69 (7,585) respectively last year.
The publication did not contain pricing figures for war-torn South Sudan.
Globally, Kenya ranks 125th while it holds the 20th position in sub-Saharan Africa beating continental powerhouses like South Africa, Ghana, and Cameroon.
According to the data, citizens of Sudan pay the lowest monthly rates globally at $2.40 (Sh310), with all sub-Saharan African nations ranking within the top 230 cheapest jurisdictions.
In Kenya, the fixed internet market has remained under the tight grip of Safaricom which enjoys a 37.4 percent market share as per the latest statistics published by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).
The giant telco is trailed by Jamii Telecommunications Limited (JTL), Wananchi Group-owned Zuku, and Poa Internet Kenya Limited at 22.6 percent, 18.8 percent, and 13 percent share respectively.
The market has in recent times signaled hope for cheaper pricing with a new wave of intensified competition that’s being chiefly driven by an aggressive influx of commercial satellite internet providers with low-cost offerings.
Analysts have opined that traditional internet vendors will either have to toe the line regarding pricing, or risk being pushed out of business by market forces.
