Telkom Kenya fails quality standards as rivals Safaricom and Airtel excel
Telkom Kenya has failed to meet the Communications Authority's minimum quality-of-service standards for the 2024-2025 financial year. The regulator's latest report reveals the company scored below required thresholds in key performance areas, placing it in breach of consumer protection rules.
Among the findings, Telkom's overall quality-of-service (QoS) score stood at just 52.76%, well under the mandatory 80% benchmark set by the authority.
The Communications Authority's assessment showed Telkom Kenya lagging far behind its rivals. Its technical network performance reached only 60%, while Safaricom and Airtel both achieved perfect scores of 100%. Customer satisfaction also fell short, with Telkom recording the lowest rating in the market at 60%.
In regional performance, the company failed to meet targets in any of the five clusters evaluated. By contrast, Safaricom met all regional benchmarks, and Airtel achieved compliance in two. Telkom's end-to-end drive test score of 47.94% was the only result below 50% among all operators, further highlighting its struggles. The report comes after years of instability for Telkom Kenya, marked by ownership changes, a failed merger attempt, and fierce competition from larger players. Despite ongoing efforts—including fibre expansion, base station upgrades, and customer service improvements—independent assessments through 2025 still show persistent gaps in network reliability and download speeds compared to Safaricom and Airtel. The broader industry has also seen a four-year decline in performance, driven by rising data demand and increased strain on network infrastructure. However, Telkom's shortcomings remain particularly acute, with slower speeds and coverage gaps repeatedly reported by users.
The Communications Authority's findings confirm Telkom Kenya's non-compliance with regulatory standards. The company now faces pressure to address its performance deficits or risk further penalties. Meanwhile, the regulator continues to monitor industry-wide quality as demand for reliable connectivity grows.
