Internet Solutions completes Sh280m fibre access network upgrade

Internet Solutions clients can now enjoy better services after the company completed upgrading its fiber access network at a cost of over Ksh 280 million.

According to the company, the upgrade which began in 2017 has resulted in improved availability, quality of service, client experience and a more stable network service with automatic rerouting in the event of a fiber cut and has largely eased network broadcasts impacting the network.

Commenting on the upgrade, Internet Solutions Managing Director Richard Hechle said apart from stability, the firm’s network is now fully automated, allowing for quick provisioning of new and existing services, a simplified deployment of the network and simpler maintenance activities.

“In the last two years, there has been a growing demand for capacity and other services layered on connectivity, from our enterprise customers. This new infrastructure that we have put in place has the capacity to support greater bandwidth, cloud services and enhance our data centre connectivity,” he said.

The enhanced network now gives all IS Kenya clients access to faster data carrying service on the fibre network, which translates to improved service quality in a market that has recorded a growing demand for cloud services and data in the last year.

“Our key focus is not only expansion, but improving resilience on our existing network, and better utilizing the infrastructure we already have. In addition to enhanced connectivity, we shall utilise our infrastructure to deliver benefits of the cloud to our customers including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a service (PaaS),” said Hechle.

Apart from the fibre network, the company has also upgraded its wireless network. The upgrade allows for three times the throughput on the wireless access points and has been deployed in very busy and congested locations resulting in increased capacity. It has also allowed rationalisation of the number of equipment per wireless site resulting in improved spectrum efficiency thereby reducing interference levels and improving services to clients.

The firm has also replaced and upgraded power in all several locations ensuring at least 8-72 hours backup depending on the criticality of a site. With its new systems it has also improved the monitoring of power parameters and reduced the risk of failure.

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“Apart from ensuring first-class service delivery to our clients, we also expect to see improved efficiency in the electricity consumption and therefore a reduction in the cost of operations,” Hechle said.