I have been having problems with my current ISP so I decided to look elsewhere, and where else than Kenya’s biggest telco? Safaricom Home Fibre brings fast, reliable internet access to homes across Kenya. While the service is often touted as having unlimited data, understanding their Fair Usage Policy (FUP) is key to making an informed decision about which package is right for you. Let’s break down what I found about this policy, what it means and how it could potentially impact your home’s internet experience.
Fair Usage: What Does It Mean?
It’s a Monthly Cap: The Fair Usage Limit is the maximum data you can use at full speed within your 30-day billing cycle – it does NOT roll over to the next month.
Your Package, Your Limits
First, it’s important to understand that each Safaricom Home Fibre package (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond) offers different speeds and comes with a specific monthly Fair Usage Limit. This limit represents the maximum amount of data you can use at your package’s full speed within your 30-day billing cycle. Crucially, this data does NOT roll over! If you exceed your limit, your internet speed will be throttled to 1Mbps (for Bronze packages) or 3Mbps (for Silver, Gold, and Diamond) until your next billing cycle begins. Keep in mind, if you’re an avid streamer, frequently download large files, or have a household with many internet-connected devices, you’ll likely hit that limit faster than a casual user.
A couple of other important points: Gold and Diamond packages include Securenet, offering parental controls and anti-malware protection. Bronze and Silver users will need to purchase Securenet separately if they want those added features.
Additionally, it’s wise to remember that Safaricom Home Fibre operates on a 1:4 contention ratio. This means your advertised internet speed could temporarily dip slightly during peak usage hours when the local network is congested.
Safaricom offers four distinct Home Fibre tiers, each with different speeds and fair usage limits. Here’s a quick overview:
Package Name | Speed | Price (30 Days) | Fair Usage Limit | Speed After Limit |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bronze | 8Mbps | Kshs. 2,999 | 500GB | 1Mbps |
Silver | 20Mbps | Kshs. 4,100 | 1000GB | 3Mbps |
Gold | 40Mbps | Kshs. 6,299 | 1000GB | 3Mbps |
Diamond | 100Mbps | Kshs. 12,499 | 1000GB | 3Mbps |
Choosing the right Home Fibre package boils down to understanding your household’s online habits. Light browsing and occasional streaming might only require Bronze or Silver. However, if you’ve got multiple avid gamers, 4K streamers, or work-from-home power users in your family, consider Gold or Diamond to avoid hitting that speed cap.
Techspace Africa recommends actively monitoring your data usage through the Safaricom customer portal. This way, you can manage your expectations and avoid any unpleasant surprises as your billing cycle progresses.
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