MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Number of Mobile Money Subscribers in Kenya Down 1%, Total Transaction Value Up 7% During Quarter Ending September 2012

The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), a state-owned regulatory authority for the communications industry in the country, has released a report showing that the number of mobile money service subscribers dropped by 200,000 to 19.3 million between July and September 2012. The report attributes the drop to a loss of customers by Airtel Networks Kenya, the local branch of Indian telecommunications firm Airtel. Despite the decline in subscribers, the value of mobile money transactions increased by 6.7 percent to KES 205 billion (USD 2.33 billion) during the same quarter.

The report also indicated that the overall number of mobile phone service subscribers increased to 30.4 million, with all Kenyan mobile operators gaining customers except for Telkom Kenya.

Finally, CCK reports that the number of internet users in the country has reached approximately 13.5 million, up from 12.1 million users in the previous quarter. The report attributes this to an “increased demand for internet and data services, including use of social media especially among the youthful population. Competitive tariffs by the mobile operators, and aggressive promotional and special offers were also behind the increase in the number of internet users.”

By Charlotte Newman, Research Associate

Sources and Additional Resources:

Communications Commission of Kenya: “Quarterly Sector Statistics Report: First Quarter of the Financial Year 2012/2013,” http://www.cck.go.ke/resc/downloads/SECTOR_STATISTICS_REPORT_Q1_12-13.pdf

Standard Digital, “Mobile Money Popular Despite Falling Subscriber Numbers,” http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000075560&pageNo=2&story_title=Kenya-Mobile-money-popular-despite-falling-subscriber-numbers

MicroCapital.org story, January 27, 2013, “MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Rejecting Kenya’s Mpesa Model, Central Bank of Nigeria Bars Telecommunications Companies from Becoming Licensed Mobile Money Operators,” https://www.microcapital.org/microcapital-brief-rejecting-kenyas-m-pesa-model-central-bank-of-nigeria-bars-telecommunications-companies-from-becoming-licensed-mobile-money-operators/

MicroCapital.org story, December 3, 2012, “MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Safaricom, Vodafone, Commercial Bank of Africa Launch M-Shwari, Offering Mobile Access to Savings and Loans in Kenya,” https://www.microcapital.org/microcapital-brief-safaricom-vodafone-commercial-bank-of-africa-launch-m-shwari-offering-mobile-access-to-savings-and-loans-in-kenya/

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