Francis Muli
Kenya Power has announced the rollout of its internet distribution venture. The company says it is set to implement a lit fibre project within Nairobi within the next two weeks on a pilot basis.
“In the next two weeks, Kenya Power will implement a lit fibre project with installations beginning in Nairobi on a pilot basis,” the company said in the notice.
Kenya Power announced a month ago that it would start distributing high speed internet through a package bundled with electricity and internet as it seeks to tap into the country’s internet demands. According to the Business Daily, the company had piloted the service with a number of corporate users.
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“We will provide our corporate sector customers with a bundled service of electricity and internet,” the company announced at the time.
Kenya Power currently offers digital telecommunication services through its power grid. The company has a total of 7,000 kilometres of dark fibre out of which the extra is leased out to 23 internet service providers.
Kenya Power originally envisioned the fiber optic connections as a way to improve grid monitoring. The company’s enormous network of fiber cables connected to its transmission lines will now provide the cheapest entry into the fixed internet market.
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However, internet providers started taking a preference for it given that Kenya Power’s fibre optic network is located on top of live power lines, which offers more security against vandals.
“Kenya Power will leverage on our vast network to tap into the market…we will offer the corporates the option of using our internet for their primary use or redundancy.”
The company also provides colocation facilities, telecommunication masts, lease of poles and bandwidth capacity services which are regulated by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA)
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The company says the packages have been priced competitively to allow them gain a majority of the market share. Zuku, Safaricom and Jamii Telkom already control 85.1 percent of the country’s fixed data market.
Kenya power says it has a three year projection to deliver internet to homes, with its primary target being rural homes. Electricity transmission lines already form the basis for the network that will be used to link fibre networks to homes.
“Looking at the business landscape, the opportunities are immense and available for everyone,” Kenya Power said.
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