In the last 10 years, Kenya’s Internet landscape has witnessed remarkable growth, yet a stark digital divide persists. While urban centres and middle and high-end estates boast of increasing connectivity, many rural and low-income communities remain largely unconnected.

This gap isn’t simply about infrastructure, it’s about affordability and access, often predicated on outdated assumptions about income and value.

Most commercial departments within Internet Service Providers (ISPs) consider the estate, the monthly rent paid, and the general aesthetic of the household in determining whether to connect Internet infrastructure or not.

By this logic, it is easier to get a budget to connect Kilimani, Karen, or Runda, even if 15 other ISPs have connected, than connecting Huruma, Kawangware, or Dandora, among other low-income areas.

While this was once a logical assumption, it no longer holds in today’s digital economy.

Kenya’s digital transformation has led to new consumer spending habits, where Internet access is prioritized.

Mobile data usage has consistently increased, with 47.96 million mobile Internet subscriptions recorded in early 2024, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya.

This growth highlights how connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity across all income levels.

The ISPs must rethink their strategies and embrace innovative approaches to truly bridge this divide without employing outdated tactics that caused it in the first place.

The Internet market has become more competitive, with small wireless providers growing daily. Within low-income and high-end areas, bigger players can no longer ignore this market segment. For all players, the next growth frontier lies in reaching underserved areas.

The providers need to engage the market segment and understand they are willing to spend, as long as there is demonstrated value. Instead of focusing on traditional markers, they should find new ways to improve the value.

What value are users looking for? Flexible payment options—don’t focus on monthly payments. Pay-as-you-go will soon become an entrenched model, allowing households to do their homework and only pay for the time they are home.

Partnerships with content providers and delivery networks bundling Internet services with streaming subscriptions or educational content can create more compelling packages, ensuring customers benefit directly from connectivity.

This content is available locally. For instance, the Kenya Education Network has significantly reduced the cost of connectivity among universities by providing bundled Internet services, making connectivity costs significantly lower. Compared to a decade ago, there is no reason an ISP shouldn’t do this for high school and primary students.

By prioritising value and innovative pricing strategies, as well as international and local partnerships with content carriers and providers, we will bridge the digital divide and increase economic opportunities.

Content Providers generate, distribute, and stream digital content such as videos, music, news, cloud services, and applications. Content Delivery Networks refer to a network of geographically distributed servers designed to deliver digital content faster and more reliably by caching and distributing it closer to users.

Content Providers and CDNs help reduce latency, improve loading speeds, and enhance the performance of websites and applications.

Some of the major players are: Akamai, Cloudflare, Google Global Cache, Netflix, ByteDance (TikTok), Microsoft, and Comcast, among others.

In Kenya and other developing markets, the presence of CDNs and Content Providers is growing rapidly, driving demand for better broadband access and affordable connectivity solutions. Next time your Netflix or application on the TV, phone, or laptop does not buffer, you may have a CP or CDN to thank for that.