Safaricom expands high speed 4G network to seven towns

Telecommunications firm Safaricom has announced that it will roll-out its fourth generation (4G) network across the country as it seeks to deepen data usage among its retail customers.

The firm also said it would unveil what it termed as affordable data plans that are expected to fuel the use of the network.

The company said it has increased the number of towns to seven where customers can access high speed Internet using the network. The network was launched 2014 and initially available in Nairobi and Mombasa.

Safaricom yesterday said the network is now available in seven major towns across the country and is in the process of ensuring that all major counties are covered. “This is a big bet in terms of data growth. For the customer, it will enable them to do a lot more and at better speeds,” said Safaricom Head of Consumer Segments Charles Karre.

This means that Safaricom customers in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Meru and Kisii now have full 4G coverage. “We are currently in the process of putting up an additional 500 4G base stations before the end of year. The expanded network will bring the firm’s 3G and 4G footprint to more than 4,600 sites.”

The initial rollout of the network faced challenges, including limited network coverage and lack of 4G-enabled devices in the market. There was also a general feeling in the market that the firm was hasty in investing in the network when it had not exhausted the potential of 3G and had a substantial number of customers still on 2G.

Karre said most of the challenges that stood in the way of the company rolling out the network on a commercial scale had been eliminated and there was a business case for 4G in Kenya.

“Today, we have been able to get past these challenges. Anyone buying a device worth about Sh6,000 can have access to the network, which has eliminated barriers for many customers and are getting to a point where we can have a critical mass using 4G,” he said.

In addition, the firm said it would announce new data plans for customers using the network, including an offer for a free 4 GB bundle for users accessing the network for the first time. The catch, however, is that they have to use the entire 4GB bundle within two days.

“Customers new to the network will automatically get a 4GB bundle. We are trying to get users to do some heavy browsing without worry that their bundles will be exhausted and this way move them from subscribing to daily bundles and instead subscribe to bigger data plans, which are essentially cheaper,” said Karre.?