Safaricom has introduced an hourly Wi-Fi service that lets customers access broadband internet for as little as Sh10, in a move aimed at extending connectivity to low-income households and individuals who cannot afford conventional monthly internet subscriptions.
The tokenised Wi-Fi service, highlighted in the company's FY2026 Sustainable Business Report, is being piloted in Kibera and Kawangware, two densely populated Nairobi neighbourhoods where the cost of regular internet subscriptions can limit access to digital services.
Under the arrangement, customers can buy internet access for a single hour at Sh10 and connect whenever they need it, without committing to recurring monthly payments.
The model targets people with irregular incomes, including casual workers, small-scale traders, students and job seekers who may not be able to maintain fixed monthly broadband subscriptions. Customers can use it for urgent online activities such as submitting job applications, accessing government services, attending virtual lessons, doing research and communicating with others, without paying for a full month's package.
Beyond the hourly Wi-Fi, Safaricom is developing prepaid fibre internet packages to give customers more flexibility in managing their connectivity costs. The proposed prepaid model would offer an alternative to conventional home fibre subscriptions, which typically require regular monthly payments.
The company acknowledges that extending fibre connections from its main network to individual households remains costly and technically challenging, particularly in low-income settlements and hard-to-reach areas. This means that although the fibre backbone continues to expand, access to affordable household connectivity depends on the availability of infrastructure within individual neighbourhoods.
The hourly Wi-Fi pilot and the proposed prepaid fibre options are part of efforts to address the affordability gap by allowing customers to pay for connectivity according to their needs and circumstances.
The FY2026 Sustainable Business Report indicates that Safaricom's fibre network expanded from 14,800 kilometres in FY2023 to 21,000 kilometres in FY2026, an addition of 6,200 kilometres. The report notes that expanding the backbone does not automatically guarantee access for every household, since the final connection to individual premises can involve additional costs and logistical challenges. The company is therefore exploring alternative delivery models for communities traditionally underserved by conventional broadband.
Smartphone connections to the network rose from 27 million in FY2025 to 33.2 million in FY2026. During the financial year, East Africa Device Assembly Kenya produced 644,000 locally assembled affordable 4G devices to support the expansion of digital connectivity, which the company expects to help reduce the cost of accessing internet-enabled technology.
Safaricom also reported growth in users of its Hook platform, which combines educational content with connectivity services. The user base grew from 4.7 million in FY2025 to 7.1 million in FY2026, reflecting increased engagement with digital learning resources and education-related content.
The report showed mixed results on customer experience. The Network Net Promoter Score (NPS) for data speed improved from 62 in FY2025 to 67 in FY2026, suggesting better customer perceptions of internet speed. The data coverage score, however, declined from 70 to 66 over the same period, indicating that network availability and geographical reach remain areas needing attention.
If the hourly Wi-Fi model is expanded beyond Kibera and Kawangware, it could provide an alternative for communities where conventional home broadband remains unaffordable or unavailable. Its success will depend on affordability, reliability and its ability to reach more underserved communities.
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