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Kenya’s largest telecom provider, Safaricom, has just rolled out a fresh way for customers to buy mobile internet, and it might just shake up the market. Called B-Live, this new product lets users purchase data based on time rather than the usual megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB).
B-Live officially launched on Wednesday, August 20. The plan allows customers to pay for internet access by the hour. For example, its KES 20 (about $0.16) plan offers one hour of internet service. KES 150 (about $1.16) provides internet service for six hours straight. Safaricom’s bold approach is a creative way to respond to feedback from unhappy customers who frequently complain that their data bundles deplete faster than expected. Safaricom seeks to increase predictability and transparency by moving billing from data volume to time.
The new plan could be more beneficial because it allows you to know exactly how long you can stay online without worrying about mysterious data drains.
How B-Live Works and Its Restrictions
B-Live has been quietly tested since July, before this official launch. However, it’s not without restrictions. The plan doesn’t allow hotspotting (sharing your mobile internet with other devices). It has a fair-usage policy limiting you from using too much data during your session. Safaricom may slow down your speeds after hitting certain thresholds. While the exact limits haven’t been disclosed, this isn’t new territory for Safaricom—they’ve used similar throttling rules on their fibre and 5G Wi-Fi services before. The challenge is ensuring these policies don’t just lead to the same complaints about “fast depletion” under a different name.
How Does B-Live Compare to Other Kenyan Telcos
No other Kenyan operator currently offers a fully time-based mobile data product at this scale. Competitors like Airtel Kenya, Telkom Kenya, and Faiba still price their internet bundles based on data volume. While Airtel offers hourly bundles, it comes with data caps. Safaricom has an advantage as it is backed by a solid network infrastructure. Safaricom’s coverage covers roughly 96% of Kenya, a reach unmatched by rivals. The 5G coverage extends beyond the major cities into rural areas, whereas Airtel’s 5G remains largely urban.
The Bigger Picture: Internet Prices and Quality Across Africa
While internet service has become available in many parts of the world, its affordability and quality still vary widely. Africa faces a tough challenge with mobile data among the most expensive globally.
In Israel, data costs $0.02 per GB, and in Italy and Fiji it costs $0.09 per GB. On the other hand, in countries such as Zimbabwe, data costs $43.75 per GB and $23.70 in South Sudan. They top the list of countries with the most expensive data rates. The disparity between regions becomes even clearer if we explore other parts of the continent.
In North Africa, the average cost of one gigabyte of mobile data is about 86 cents, whereas in Sub-Saharan Africa, the price jumps to roughly $3.31 per GB. When converted into local currencies, that’s a significant expense in places where incomes tend to be low.
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Nigeria’s Struggles: Currency, Inflation, and Rising Data Costs
Nigeria is an example of how these challenges hit people in real life. The country’s currency, the naira, has taken a hit recently, with the exchange rate now officially hovering around ₦1,680 to the US dollar, and up to ₦1,800 on unofficial markets. Nigerians grapple with rising inflation and higher petrol prices, and the cost of mobile data only adds to the financial strain many Nigerians face daily.
For many Nigerians, the internet is the major facilitator of education and work. Many also rely on the internet for news and entertainment. Yet, with data prices rising and local currency weakening, access is becoming more difficult. The implications are already emerging, with a widening digital divide.
Data Speeds: Expensive but Often Slow
The problem isn’t just about cost. The quality of the internet in Africa is often poor. Sub-Saharan Africa has the slowest average internet speeds. While internet speeds in regions like Western Europe average 142.12 Mbps, Sub-Saharan Africa only manages 14.99 Mbps on average. The Baltic countries enjoy around 106.45 Mbps. For internet users in Africa, this means slow-loading websites, frequent buffering, and long waits to download big files. Sometimes, it can take several hours to download a 50 GB file, which is a major headache for anyone trying to work or study online.
Safaricom’s B-Live product is an interesting experiment that solves a long-standing problem of unpredictable data bundle depletion. It aims to increase transparency and manageability in internet usage by allowing users to pay for time rather than data capacity. The effectiveness of this new strategy and its acceptance by consumers are yet certain, given limitations like no hotspotting and possible speed limiting.
There is a need for innovation to address problems with high costs and low speeds, which hamper internet access in Africa. For Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and other Sub-Saharan African nations, having access to reasonably priced and dependable internet remains a priority.
