Safaricom to go commercial with 5G in 2022
Kenyan network operator Safaricom has announced that it will launch a commercialised version of its 5G services in 2022.
The telco company, which launched 5G technology in Kenya in March starting with major urban centres, including Nairobi, also announced it would increase its 5G sites by 200 by the end of the year.
According to the CEO, Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom wants to take the supremely high-speed internet to additional towns as the 5G service will further expand its data business to counter slower growth in voice calls revenue.
In his statement, the Safaricom chief executive explained that the company would use the 200 sites for testing the upgraded network as it seeks to capitalise on burgeoning mobile Internet use in the country.
“This year is a trial phase and we intend to have 150 to 200 sites coming from the first use case of homes, especially in places where we do not have fibre,” Mr Ndegwa said.
“We will be able to test on such areas and help customers in terms of speed and reliability and from next year we can be able to commercialise a bit faster but I will come with that at the appropriate time.”
While Safaricom continues to lead the race to be the first provider of the 5G experience in Kenya, that is only one part of a broader battle that has pitted the telco giant against rivals like Airtel Kenya, Vodacom and MTN across Sub Saharan Africa.
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In April, Airtel Kenya upgraded 600 network sites to meet 5G mobile internet service capabilities with the aim of being ready to roll out services in Nairobi, Mombasa and Malindi.
Business Daily cited the company’s Managing Director Prasanta Das Sarma as saying that the upgraded sites are located in Nairobi, Mombasa and Malindi. ‘These 600 sites are now 5G-ready. We don’t have to make any further modifications to the network. We will just get the spectrum and decide when to switch on,’ he said, adding that this would likely take place in the next two years, once the cost of 5G-compatible handsets and devices decreases.
