Eight Finnish tech companies expected in Kenya

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Finnish export and investment promotion agency Finpro is bringing eight Finnish technology companies to Nairobi, Kenya as part of a new trade mission that aims to assist Kenyan telecom operators in improving their operational efficiency, enabling new business models and developing increasingly sophisticated value-added services for their customers.

The participating companies bring to the table a broad spectrum of specialized expertise that can help create value for the mobile operator business in multiple ways.

The trade mission is a part of Finpro’s Connectivity from Finland Growth Program that aims to find new business opportunities for Finnish companies specializing in communications technologies. Scheduled to take place between October 3rd and 7th, the visit will pick up from where Finpro’s previous trade mission into Kenya left off in May 2016.

“In May, our goal was to open and establish connections into the Kenyan telecom market. The response back then was very positive, and we are now committed to actively pursue continuous long-term cooperation opportunities,” says Mr. Kimmo Aura, Finpro’s Connectivity from Finland Program Director.

Generating value through operational efficiency and new business models

As one of the most populous nations in Africa, Kenya is fertile ground for experts in mobile communications technology. The mobile market is very developed and already covers more than 90 percent of the country’s population of approximately 45 million. Furthermore, mobile devices account for over 99 percent of the country’s total Internet use.

“The Kenyan telecom market has plenty of potential for future expansion as mobile Internet access becomes more and more commonplace. Reliable data access is crucial for this use case, and operators are very interested in finding new ways to make the most of the existing network infrastructure in order to support the future growth of data traffic,” Mr. Aura says.

The eight companies participating in the trade mission are specialized in core network technology, value adding services as well as solutions for business optimization. These improvements enable operators to come up with all-new business models and offerings, which in turn benefit the end-users and boost their customer satisfaction.

“Finland is one of the world’s leading countries in terms of mobile communications technology development. But in addition to research and development expertise, Finnish companies also possess several years’ worth of know-how in existing telecom technologies. The companies we are bringing along are strong experts in their field, and they have plenty to offer for promising markets like Kenya,” Aura concludes.