In March Kenya Power, a state-owned electricity distribution company announced it will start selling fixed internet. It has now announced that it will launch its service by June 2023.
According to Business Daily, the state-owned power utility company has been running pilot tests over the past few months by providing the services to a number of its customers.
The power utility will launch the service before the end of this year, according to Kenya Power acting MD Geoffrey Muli.
“Our plan is to launch our Lit Fibre business in the course of this financial year,” Muli said.
Kenya Power will be taking on Internet Service Providers like Safaricom. Safaricom currently has the most power in the country when it comes to fixed internet services — with a market share of 37%. and Wananchi is the second runner-up at 29.2%, Business Daily cites data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).
The state-owned power utility has been leasing fibre-optic cables attached to its transmission lines to internet service providers. In 2010, Kenya Power signed a 20-year lease agreement worth Sh421 million ($3.6-million) with Safaricom for use of a pair of fibre cables, as per Business Daily.
The company also has ambitions to start selling internet directly to homes, especially homes based in rural areas.
By Zintle Nkohla
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