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Safaricom will on Friday (26th March 2020) roll out East Africa’s first ever fifth generation (5G) network. The official launch will happen in Nairobi and Kisumu from 7.00 AM.
The launch will be done in Kisumu and Nairobi partnership with leading global suppliers; the Nokia Corporation and Huawei. The launch will see the telco showcase capabilities of the 5G network using the two firms’ technologies.
The 5G service will be available in Nairobi and Western Kenya towns including Kisumu, Kisii and Bungoma. Subscribers who want to enjoy the service will need to acquire 5G enabled handsets.
5G networks promise to offer faster connectivity compared to the current 4G network. This means much faster data download and upload speeds that ultimately ease network congestion.
The technology is meant to deliver higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, ultra-low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users. Higher performance and improved efficiency empower new user experiences and connect new industries.
This is specifically good news in this era of the pandemic when a lot more people are working from home. Subscribers without access to broadband internet will be able to get fast internet that will allow them to work remotely more efficiently, especially when using video platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype and so much more.
This rollout will also be beneficial to those who use the internet for entertainment services like streaming video content on platforms like Netflix or YouTube and online gamers.
It would be a good idea for Safaricom to go a step further and introduce a bundled 5G package that offers monthly data at rates lower that what’s currently charged for mobile data to increase uptake, especially for those who are outside designated Home Fibre zones.
