Kenya’s average data connection speed amounted to nearly 14 megabits per second (Mbps) in the first quarter of 2017 – almost twice as fast as the global average.

Not only that, but as the world’s 14th-fastest mobile internet speed, the East African country has also beat the US, which ranked 28th on a global scale with its average speed of 10.7 Mbps.

A report conducted by content delivery network Akamai – after collecting data from more than 130 countries – shows that close to 90% of Kenya’s population accesses the internet via their phones, owing to cheaper data plans and the prevalent use of mobile money platforms such as M-Pesa.

According to a Quartz Africa report, the country launched its National Broadband Strategy in 2013 to extend fibre-optic cables. This led to more local content online and the establishment of ICT centres at universities, and now broadband covers as much as 30% of the nation.

13 June 2017
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