Safaricom Announces Aggressive Plans to Expand 4G Services Covering All Kenya
Kenya’s largest telecoms operator Safaricom Plc, plans to expand its 4G network coverage across the country in a bid to stay relevant in the highly-competitive telecom space.
Michael Joseph, the acting chief executive said between December and January, they aim the 4G network to cover the entire country for their customers to have ‘better data experience’ when using their 4G devices which will also be rolled out.
In the period, the telco said it added 732 additional 4G sites covering 63% of the population.
“Our focus has been improving our network and now will focus on providing more 4G sites and an equivalent of even more number will be added in the next three months,” Joseph said.
“We have always believed that investment in our network and infrastructure is a key to success, and continue to invest ahead of the curve. In the first half of this year, we accelerated our 4G rollout as promised, adding an additional 732 sites in the period, a growth of 50% year on year and reaching 63% coverage as we strive to cover every town in Kenya by the end of the year,” commented Michael Joseph whose tenure ends in April 2020.
In the year, the telco became the second telecommunications company to introduce ultra-clear HD voice calls over 4G LTE network to its customers at no additional cost offering a richer calling experience and clearer calls achieving High Definition voice quality.
In October, it announced the sale of over 600,000 Neon smartphones in the year as the most affordable 4G smartphone in the country. Michael Joseph said the Neon Smartphone range to cater to customers seeking quality and reliable smartphones at an affordable price.
Safaricom picked Peter Ndegwa, to take up the role of chief executive from April next year, after the death of Bob Collymore in July.
It posted earnings before interest and taxes of Ksh 49.8 billion in the half-year ended September.
