Safaricom has recorded a 22.9 per cent decline in the average number of text messages sent by each customer, as more subscribers turn to internet-based platforms to communicate.
The telecommunications company’s half-year financial results, released on Thursday, November 5, 2026, show that messages per subscriber dropped to 98.94 during the six months ended September 30, 2026, reflecting changing communication habits among mobile phone users.
However, the number of active messaging customers continued to grow, rising by 8.8 per cent to 25.86 million during the reporting period.
The figures suggest that although more customers remain active on Safaricom’s messaging services, they are sending fewer traditional text messages.
Safaricom attributed the decline in SMS revenue to the growing popularity of internet-based communication platforms, commonly referred to as over-the-top (OTT) messaging services.
“Messaging revenue declined 8.6% YoY to KShs 5.01Bn, driven by the continued migration of customer communications to IP-based and over-the-top (OTT) messaging platforms, a trend observed across the global telecommunications industry. As a result, messages per subscriber fell 22.9% YoY to 98.94, the company stated in its financial report.
The shift reflects the growing use of applications that allow people to exchange messages through internet connections rather than relying on conventional SMS services.
Platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook Messenger have changed how mobile phone users communicate, offering text messaging alongside voice calls, video calls and multimedia sharing.
For customers with access to mobile data or Wi-Fi, these services provide alternatives to traditional text messaging.
The decline in messaging revenue highlights the pressure facing traditional telecommunications services as customer communication increasingly moves to internet-based platforms.
The 8.8 per cent growth in active messaging customers also shows that the decline in revenue was not caused by a shrinking number of customers using messaging services.
Instead, the reduction in messages per subscriber points to changes in how frequently customers use traditional SMS.
The results underline a broader shift in Kenya’s telecommunications market, where internet connectivity is becoming increasingly important in everyday communication.
Safaricom’s half-year performance therefore captures a changing relationship between mobile phone users and traditional text messaging, even as the company continues to serve millions of active messaging customers.
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