Mobile Internet Speeds in Kenya ranked 14th globally. So what?

In the contemporary society, having no internet access can be source of stomach ulcers (figuratively) to many a people. In some parts of the developing world, however, the penetration of internet is now growing much faster than many other essential services such as education, healthcare, water and clean energy.

Recent research by Akamai, a content delivery company, indicates Kenya has the 14th-fastest average mobile internet speed globally, beating developed countries Sweden and the USA. This mobile internet speed, research indicates, is faster than the country’s average wire-line speed. Telecommunication companies such as Safaricom, Telkom Kenya (formerly known as Orange), and Airtel are investing heavily in the provision of faster mobile fibre broadband internet and connections, with all of them now boasting 4G access to sections of their mobile clients (mostly in urban areas). Other companies such as Jamii Telecom, and Zuku have created a niche in providing wired internet through fibre optic broadband technology. Safaricom, the dominant mobile company in Kenya, has recently rolled out this technology as well.

If this research (as reported by recode) is anything to go by, then the country is doing quite well. This would normally mean more opportunities for online businesses, more avenues for learning, and improved service delivery by the government. There are already advancements in this regard, with certain services such as registration of companies and businesses, civil registration and immigration services, etc now accessible through the e-citizen portal.

However, accessing the full potential of these internet access and speeds is limited by inadequate capacity to exploit technologies among the citizenry and the government officials. We'd have to undertake good research to ascertain the capacity gaps and system inadequacies and how to fix them, but as for now, it seems the internet technology is growing much faster than the available human capacities.