Airtel invests Sh2.5b in 3G upgrade

Kenya: Bharti Airtel has invested Sh2.5 billion to upgrade its network to enhance indoor coverage and 3G network quality in Kenya. The upgrade of all sites in Mombasa and Kitale has been completed, with Nairobi's already in progress and due for completion soon.

It said with the growing demand for data services, alongside the increasing proliferation of smartphones, the UMTS 900 Mhz spectrum upgrade project significantly enhances indoor coverage penetration and improves data quality for Airtel 3G network users.

Airtel Kenya Managing Director El Youssefi said the telecommunications services provider has invested Sh2.5 billion in this exercise and plans to continue investing significantly in the network to provide its customers with the best possible user experience across the country.

"The project will increase the reach and coverage of Airtel's 3G network, enabling our customers to take full advantage of what Airtel has to offer," he said in a statement.

Mr Youssefi added, "With the network upgrade, customers will be better able to take advantage of services such as the recently launched Airtel #UnlimiNet, free twitter on Airtel Internet, Internet.org- free internet powered by Airtel and Facebook, amongst a bouquet of other data services."

The network upgrade also makes Airtel Kenya's network 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) ready. In November last year, Airtel Africa launched 4G in Seychelles and Rwanda, making the two countries amongst the first in sub-Saharan Africa to commercially deploy the 4G network technology.

In India, Bharti Airtel was the first operator to launch the 4G service, making it one of the first countries in the world to commercially deploy this cutting-edge technology.

Airtel currently has the widest 3G footprint in Africa, with the 17 countries that Airtel operates connected to the third generation of mobile telecommunications technology services.