BUSINESS SMART BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

Kenya Power Internet – Here’s What to Expect

MARTIN SIELEJul 7, 20224.2k

At present, KPLC offers dark fibre, leveraging its extensive power transmission and distribution network to lease fibre optic cables to Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Kenya Power has offered a timeline on its plan to offer fixed internet for homes and businesses in Kenya. The company expects to roll out the services by June 2023.

The move is aimed at diversifying the company’s revenues. It will thrust KPLC into competition with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) including Safaricom and Zuku.

At present, KPLC offers dark fibre, leveraging its extensive power transmission and distribution network to lease fibre optic cables across the country to Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

It offers dark fibre on 5, 15, and 20 years Indefeasible Rights of Use (IRU) at market driven prices and has lease agreements with operators including Safaricom, Airtel, Liquid Telecom Ltd, Jamii Telecommunications, Indigo Telecommunication Ltd and Wananchi Telecom Ltd. With the elevation to lit fibre, Kenya Power would be vying for customers with the very same companies.

Acting Kenya Power Managing Director Geoffrey Muli disclosed that they had been piloting lit fibre with a number of businesses ahead of the full roll-out.

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“Our plan is to launch our Lit Fibre business in the course of this financial year,” Muli stated at the ongoing Kenya Power Expo.

It had emerged in March 2022 that Kenya Power planned to bundle power and internet in packages targeted at households and corporate clients.

It is expected to have an edge in rural areas thanks to its existing power transmission infrastructure. The major ISPs currently focus on urban centres in their provision of fixed internet.

While pricing remains undisclosed, the company could prioritize affordability to tap into its pool of over 8 million customers.

“The company’s extensive fibre network presently offers dark fibre services to the country’s major ISPs to facilitate the provision of Internet services to the end buyer in the retail and enterprise segments across the country and neighbouring countries,” the firm noted in a strategy document.