Vanessa Murrey
Kenyans are now sending less SMSs compared to making phone calls and using mobile data. Data from the Communications Authority shows that the number of SMSs sent fell by 16.5 percent to 14.2 billion in the three months to December 2020.
Safaricom posted the highest margins with subscribers sending 18 percent less SMSs from 15.99 billion in September to 13.07 billion in December.
CA attributed the drop to Safaricom’s offering on mobile data and voice calls. More users also opted for Whatsapp’s voice-based calls amid the Covid-19 pandemic that caused financial difficulties.
Read: Safaricom Offers Subscribers Free Access To Digital Copies of the Dailies Until Nov 30
“The drop is a result of reduction in SMS bundle usage with many customers preferring to take advantage of the available voice and data offers instead, from the Safaricom@20 promotion,” CA said in the report.
Airtel however recorded a 13.7 percent increase in sent SMSs from 897.6 million in September to 1.02 billion in the period under review.
Safaricom maintained its lead in the voice market with its offers on calls and mobile data.
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