Telkom Kenya Invests US$ 100 Mn to Expand 4G Network With 2000 Sites

Telkom Kenya on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with Ericsson mainly to speed up the expansion of its 4G mobile broadband network in Kenya. 

The MoU also covers NEC XON, a systems integrator to supplement Telkom’s 4G sites.

The plan is to add 2,000 4G/LTE sites onto the operator’s network by 2023 at an estimated cost of  USD 100 million.

“Two of our commitments are to better position our infrastructure asset base and services to drive digital transformation within our various Customer segments thus providing them with more value, as well as bridge the digital divide through the expansion of our Mobile Data network,” Telkom’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mugo Kibati says.

“We continue with our long-term terrestrial network expansion plan that is informed by our overall company strategy, which will see us scale up to 80% of our network to 4G, increase our network footprint across the country, and get more Kenyans online. Our partnership with Ericsson and NEC XON is a testament to this.”

In 2020, the telco announced a plan for network expansion.

Telkom Kenya, is 60 per cent owned by UK private equity firm Helios Investment Partners, while the balance 40 per cent is owned by the Kenyan government.

Telkom has 4,152 km of its own terrestrial fibre cabling, serving as a key conduit for broadband connectivity, inland. Telkom Kenya also owns a 22.5% stake in TEAMS, a 5,000km undersea fibre optic cable through Fujairah, UAE, and a 10% stake in LION2, another 2,700km undersea fibre optic cable through Mauritius. 

It also owns a stake in the East African Submarine System Cable (EASSy) and manages the National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI), on behalf of the Ministry of ICT, an inland fibre optic cable network running through Kenyan counties. Telkom is also the landing partner for the LION2, EASSy, DARE 1 and lately, the PEACE Cables.