The much talked about Jamii Telecom Limited owned Faiba 4G/LTE network is currently undergoing tests. There are credible indications that the network is soon launching throughout the country.
We tested the new 4G network to be launched by JTL. Interesting!!! JTL Staff currently testing it using this phone. pic.twitter.com/kp3fyRoe7w
— Robert ALAI (@RobertAlai) August 17, 2017
We have gotten our hands on one of the devices being used to test the network, a low end 4G phone without a brand.
JTL #Faiba4G test from the Eastern by-pass. Not bad. Uploads should improve. Used servers in Pretoria. pic.twitter.com/akXUjqm9e3
— Robert ALAI (@RobertAlai) August 17, 2017
Unlike the previous JTL strategy, it seems like the new Faiba 4G network will target the lower end of the data market with affordable phones which are able to access high data transfer rates.
Meanwhile, we have also learnt that JTL Chairman, Joshua Chepkwony has been holding meetings with senior Safaricom executives. In one such meeting at the Hemingways Hotel in Karen a few weeks ago, Chepkwony was spotted meeting Sylvia Mulinge (Head of Consumer Division) together with two other former executives.
We have managed to glean from sources close to the two that Chepkwony offered Sylvia Mulinge a role of CEO in the new entity but was not able to strike a deal since Sylvia saw it not viable to leave her current plum position and nurture the Faiba 4G baby from infancy.
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After the refusal of Sylvia, JTL has reportedly offered her an executive role on the board.
Sylvia has vehemently denied any of these claiming that she is not even aware of a deal or a discussion with JTL.
In may, there was an uproar in the communication industry when it was discovered that Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) awarded Jamii Telecoms Limited (JTL) a Ksh 2.5 billion mobile phone service license for a paltry Ksh 100,000.
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JTL,s license will see it operate under the 700 MHz frequency unlike Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom Kenya which are operating under the 800 MHz spectrum.
The three telcos complained to the CA against the move and demanded that the entry of JTL into the data market be halted until the issues are resolved. But sources at CA argued that unlike the tier 1 licensing framework, tier 2 (700MHz) operators are required to pay only Ksh 100,000 for licensing.
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