Smartphones usage hits new high amid rising cyber threats

Kenyans are buying more smartphones, according to the latest ICT sector report by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), and with it increased cyber threats. The quarter 2 2024-25 (October-December) report released yesterday shows that smartphones maintained an upward trend at a penetration rate of 80.5 per cent, while feature phones dropped to 59.3 per cent compared to the previous quarter. The government's financial year begins on July 1, hence its second quarter falling between October and December of every year. The increase, however, represents all mobile phones that were connected to mobile networks as of the end of the quarter under review. It is subject to multiple phone ownership and should, therefore, not be mistaken for mobile phone ownership, which is measured through surveys. Kenyans remain dependent on phones, with mobile subscriptions climbing up to 71.4 million, pushing the penetration to 138.5 per cent. The rise in subscriptions is reflected in a 12.8 per cent increase in mobile data consumption, averaging 13.1GB per subscription, and natural growth in mobile money services to 42.3 million subscriptions. According to the report, the uptake in smartphones is attributable to the increased expansion of mobile broadband networks across the country, which currently stands at 97.0 per cent of population coverage. The growth is largely attributed to the recent festive season and an appetite for digital connectivity. "The second quarter is often marked by growth across the different sub-sectors, mainly because of the busy festive season that fell within the same period, and last quarter was no exception," says CA in the report. "During the quarter, there was a general increase in SIM subscriptions, mobile money, and mobile data subscriptions." Further, the increase in smartphone penetration coupled with an increased need for online activities such as streaming movies, online learning, and remote work, among others, accelerated demand for high-speed internet, leading to increased uptake of mobile broadband, especially 4G and 5G. The ICT landscape shows growth in mobile network services and internet adoption. "The telecommunications sub-sector in the country experienced remarkable growth during the second quarter of the 2024-25 financial year running from October 1 to December 31, 2024," the report says. "Active mobile (SIM) subscriptions grew by 2.0 per cent in comparison to 1.6 per cent growth recorded at the end of September 2024. This growth is mainly attributed to the busy festive season that runs within the same period pushing active SIMs to 71.4 million and a penetrationrate of 138.5 per cent." Active SIM subscriptions refer to those SIM cards used at least once in the last three months and have generated revenue through making or receiving a call or carrying out a non-voice activity such as sending or receiving an SMS, accessing the Internet, airtime topping up, transacting using mobile money, and mobile banking. Activities that do not result in revenue generation, such as balance enquiries, unanswered calls, and password resets, do not qualify a customer account as active. During the review period, there was also an increase in utilised satellite internet bandwidth driven mainly by the increased uptake of LEO ( low Earth orbit) satellite internet services in the country. Digital growth comes with cyber security challenges, as reflected in more attacks. The report shows the total number of cyber threats detected during the quarter increased by 27.2 per cent to 840.9 million. In response to cyber threat events detected, the National Kenya Computer Incident Response Team and Coordination Centre issued 11.6 million advisories, marking a 20.9 per cent increase compared to last quarter.

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