Safaricom to double broadband capacity

Mobile service provider Safaricom will double its broadband capacity next week opening a new battle front in the data market just weeks after its main rival Airtel launched a 3G network.

"The network will run at 42mega bits per second (mbps) from the current 21mbs and it will be the fastest network in the whole of East and Central Africa," Safaricom CEO Mr Bob Collymore said.

The firm has been under pressure to diversify its revenue streams away from voice following last years price wars. But its quest to control the data market has in the recent past witnessed increasing competition especially from Telkom Orange and Airtel as more telcoms invest in the service.

Airtel rolled out its 3G network in February putting it at par with Safaricom.

Safaricom's move to double its capacity can therefore be read as geared towards differentiating itself from rivals.

"We are already receiving the modems to support the new network," Mr Collynore said.

However the rollout will begin from Nairobi and its environs before going national.

Mr Collymore was speaking at the connected Kenya Summit 2012 in Mombasa that began on Tuesday.

The summit is in its fourth year and is the brainchild of the Kenya ICT Board in collaboration with industry players and government.

The annual forum is a platform for collaboration, capacity building and knowledge sharing between the government and the ICT stakeholders.

This year's summit--themed Knowldege and beyond--has attracted over 500 delegates including captains of the ICT industry, IT practitioners and officials from the vision 2030.

The four day conference will see players discuss how to build the knowledge economy, how to take advantage of the open data, linking innovation and trade.

Players will also discuss how to involve citizens in the growth of the sector, and the opportunities in e-commerce and retail trade. Companies will also showcase their latest products and services.

Information and communication permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo is expected to present the National ICT Masterplan 2017, which outlines the government's blue print for ICT on Thursday.

Companies attending this year's summit include Safaricom, HP, Ericsson, Huawei, IBM, Orange and Jamii Telcom. Others include Seven Seas Technologies, SAP, Accenture and EMC among others.

By PAUL WAFULA