Safaricom, Kenya’s largest telecoms provider, yesterday launched its 5G high-speed internet service, which, it says, will commence by first offering Wi-Fi subscriptions.
5G Wi-Fi is now available to customers in 5G-enabled areas and a 5G router can be purchased for KES 25,000 plus a setup fee of KES 5,000 and choosing one of three available plans below:
- 10Mbps with a usage limit of 300GB at KES 3,499;
- 40Mbps with a usage limit of 500GB at KES 5,999; and;
- 100Mbps with a usage limit of 1TB at KES 14,999
A customer can wish to sign up for a 36-month service agreement, and this gives them a opportunity to get the router for free. Once a customer reaches their monthly usage cap, they will still be able to access the internet, but at reduced speed.
Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said, “The 5G network will enable our customers to enjoy unprecedented levels of connectivity and low latency. It will also complement our fibre network.”
There was subdued subscription to the company’s 5G mobile network rolled out last year and this has been attributed to a lack of compatible devices.
Ndegwa said there are approximately 200,000 5G smartphones on Safaricom’s network.
“Only one out of three Kenyans own a 4G device,” he added. “The shift to creating a fixed 5G Wi-Fi product will see more people adopt the fast internet network for various work. Mobile packages for 5G will be available by December this year.”
The Communications Authority of Kenya plans to introduce a 5G roadmap for the country to encourage and support local adoption.
Director General (DG) of the CA, Ezra Chiloba said that they will be releasing a policy document.
“One of our mandates is to look at the effective and efficient way of allocating spectrum resources,” said Chiloba.
“In the last few years, we have been developing something we call the 5G roadmap… which is providing the national framework on how the sector is going to operate in as far as the roll-out of 5G is concerned.”
The DG did not specify a time frame for the introduction of the roadmap, and said only it would be “launched soon”.
Safaricom is now the first teleco to deploy the 5G technology commercially in East Africa. Over the years, it has consistently invested in its network, with its 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G in aggregate covering over 99% of Kenya’s population, while its fibre network has connected more than 200,000 homes to fast and reliable internet.
The Telecom provider is reportedly planning to use the Nokia and Huawei-backed 5G service as a cornerstone of its efforts to further expand its data business to counter slower growth in voice revenues.
The company plans to target homes and businesses outside of the coverage area of its existing fibre network.
