Safaricom boosts Internet speeds with 4G+

Safaricom has given boost to its internet speeds with the introduction of 4G+ services in major towns. The new technology will allow customers to browse faster.

“These faster speeds not only benefit the customer, they also empower small businesses who can now use the internet for more commercial activities – democratising data access,” said Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore.

The new technology builds on the growing footprint of Safaricom’s 4G network, which has been activated on over 1,100 sites across Kenya.

Already, the telco has activated 100 4G+ sites in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, as well as parts of Kisii, Naivasha, Kitui, Machakos, Kakamega and Kericho.

Technically, 4G+ technology allows peak download speeds of 150Mbps, while 4G enables top speeds of between 60-100Mbps.

Increased bandwidth

This means that a 30-minute HD video should take a little over two minutes to download on 4G+, while it would take around eight minutes on standard 4G.

The technology also enables ‘Carrier Aggregation’, which allows Safaricom customers to benefit from increased bandwidth accessible through the aggregation of different LTE spectrum bands.

“These investments lay the foundation for a more digitally enabled, platform economy. We expect that our network will empower more small enterprises to participate in commerce as well as drive more data use by critical sectors in the education, health and agricultural sectors,” said Mr Collymore.

The 4G+ stations will supplement the existing 2G, 3G and 4G sites on Safaricom’s network and will complement its fibre roll-out strategy that has seen over 50,000 homes and 1,500 commercial buildings connected to fibre links.