NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyans could face higher internet costs if Parliament approves proposed rules requiring internet service providers to bill customers according to the amount of data they consume.
Telecommunications industry representatives raised concerns over the proposal on Thursday, August 13, warning MPs that forcing providers to adopt consumption-based billing would require significant investment in new monitoring and billing infrastructure, costs that could ultimately be passed on to consumers.
The concerns were raised before the National Assembly’s Communication, Information and Innovation Committee as it scrutinises the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The Bill, sponsored by Aldai MP Marianne Kitany, proposes a new metering framework under which internet service providers would be required to operate a meter-billing system for subscribers.
Under the proposed provision, an ISP would have to assign each customer a unique and identifiable meter number, monitor their internet usage, convert that usage into readable details, generate invoices based on consumption and allow customers to verify their bills. Providers would also be required to submit information about their billing systems and internet meter numbers to the Communications Authority of Kenya annually.
Providers warn of higher costs
Industry representatives told the committee that implementing such a system across internet networks would require substantial technological investment.
“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,” Parliament said in a statement following the meeting.
Deep Packet Inspection, commonly known as DPI, is a network technology capable of analysing data traffic as it passes through a network. Deploying infrastructure capable of supporting large-scale usage monitoring and integrating it with billing platforms would add to providers’ operational and capital expenditure.
The providers therefore argued that the legislation should not force every customer onto a consumption-based model.
Instead, they want subscribers to retain the ability to choose between different pricing structures, including existing packages in which customers pay a fixed monthly fee for a specified internet speed.
Threat to unlimited internet packages
The proposed changes could also have implications for the unlimited and speed-based packages currently offered by internet providers.
Under the prevailing model, many home and business customers pay a fixed monthly subscription for a particular connection speed, allowing them to use the service without being billed separately for each megabyte consumed.
Providers told MPs that such packages remain appropriate for customers who need predictable monthly costs and should not be effectively eliminated through legislation.
A shift to strict consumption-based billing could particularly affect households with heavy internet use, including families with multiple connected devices, people working or studying from home, online businesses and organisations that depend on sustained connectivity.
For such users, costs could become less predictable if monthly bills fluctuate according to data consumption.
Bill seeks greater transparency
The proposed metering system is intended, among other objectives, to give consumers greater visibility over their internet usage and billing.
The Bill would require providers to monitor customer consumption and translate it into information that subscribers can understand and use to verify their invoices.
Industry representatives, however, argued that Parliament could achieve that objective without making consumption-based billing the mandatory pricing model for every subscriber.
They urged MPs to amend the proposal so that customers have access to detailed information about how much data they consume while retaining the freedom to select the billing arrangement that best suits their needs.
That would allow consumers who prefer usage-based plans to choose them without removing fixed-price packages for customers who value predictable monthly bills.
MPs weigh stakeholder concerns
Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie said feedback from industry stakeholders would help the committee identify provisions that may require changes before it makes its recommendations to the House.
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The committee is expected to consider the competing arguments as it continues scrutiny of the Bill before determining whether to recommend its passage, amendment or rejection of specific provisions.
The proposed metering requirement is among several changes contained in the legislation, which seeks to amend the Kenya Information and Communications Act.
For consumers, the outcome could determine whether internet access continues to be dominated by fixed-price and speed-based packages or moves towards a system in which the amount of data consumed plays a much greater role in determining the final bill.
The proposal has not yet taken effect. Any change to how Kenyans are billed for internet services would depend on Parliament’s consideration of the Bill and its eventual enactment into law.
