Kenyans could face higher internet costs under proposed rules before Parliament that would require providers to bill customers based on their data usage.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

A telecommunications company raised concerns over the proposal when its officials appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation (CII) on Thursday, August 13.

The company said a requirement for internet providers to charge customers according to the amount of data consumed could increase the cost of accessing the internet.

According to providers, forcing them to measure and charge for every unit of data would require additional systems and infrastructure, creating expenses that could ultimately be passed on to consumers.

📌 What You Need to Know

“Forcing all operators to adopt consumption-based billing would require significant investment in Deep Packet Inspection infrastructure and sophisticated billing systems capable of measuring every megabyte consumed. Such costs could eventually be passed on to consumers,” read a Parliament statement after the meeting.

Additionally, the company warned that the proposal could also affect unlimited and speed-based packages currently available.

Such a change could affect households with people working from home, businesses, schools, and other users who rely on providers to maintain predictable connectivity and monthly costs.

Providers argued that customers should instead retain the ability to choose between different billing models while still receiving clear information on how much data they use .

They maintained that fixed-price packages based on internet speeds remain an appropriate option for internet services and should not be removed through legislation.

The concerns come as the CII committee considers the proposals under the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke