- Kenya is among beneficiaries of Opera’s $100 million (Sh13.8 billion) investment in the continent.
- This is under its “ Africa First” strategy aimed at decreasing the digital divide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Image: FILE
High data costs and low levels of penetration are still major challenges affecting growth of the Kenyan digital market, browser developers Opera now says.
This, even as it forecasts a strong performance and evolution in the next five years, with the growth expected to spur innovation and entrepreneurship, leading to the emergence of new tech startups and the further integration of digital technologies in various sectors.
These include e-commerce, finance, healthcare and education.
“Additionally, we anticipate continued investment in infrastructure and regulatory frameworks to support a thriving digital ecosystem in Kenya," said Jørgen Arnesen, executive vice president, Mobile at Opera.
"With increasing connectivity and digitalisation efforts, we expect to see a significant expansion in internet penetration and access to online services across the country.”
The firm is banking on investments in Kenya including its locally installed servers and physical presence (office) in Nairobi to drive product development and cheaper internet in the country.
It is aiming at addressing the low digital penetration and limited digital literacy, as well as high data costs and infrastructure limitations in the country, working on bringing more people online by providing tailored products and solutions.
“When working on the data-saving technology behind Opera Mini, we realised that in order to make it really efficient, we needed to build local data centers. The servers speed up online browsing, making the connection times up to four times faster than before when using Opera mobile applications like the popular Opera,” Arnesen said.
Kenya is among beneficiaries of Opera’s $100 million (Sh13.8 billion) investment in the continent, targeted at growing Africa’s digital economy.
This is under its “ Africa First” strategy aimed at decreasing the digital divide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where the costs of data are a major issue.
To decrease data costs, the firm has partnered with the biggest telecommunications companies across Africa, often kicking off free data campaigns.
In Kenya, Opera has launched free data campaigns where it has partnered with Safaricom and Airtel Kenya to offer millions of people up to 3 GB of free browsing each month, as well as investments in data-saving solutions, where users don’t have to pay for data.
The initiative has helped to empower users throughout the country and the African continent, enabling them to establish businesses, connect with loved ones and embark on education with greater ease and affordability, management said during an interview with the Star.
It is also working with local artists and agencies.
“Kenya is a very important market for us which we are planning to continue investments in,” Arnesen said.
It believes the ongoing roll-out of the 5G mobile network will revolutionise the internet space in the country and the continent.
“Opera browsers are perfectly ready for 5G, as proven in other markets,” he said.
Kenya is primed for growth as more people get online for the first time, with mobile phone being a leading platform.
Communication Authority of Kenya quarterly report for the period ended December indicates total mobile data/internet subscriptions stood at 47.7 million during the reference period, out of which 66.8 per cent were on mobile broadband.
“Internet users have embraced higher mobile network generations such as 4G that offer faster internet speeds that enhance customer experience,” CA notes in its report.
According to the regulator, the government is strongly committed to the advancement of the digital superhighway and infrastructure expansion in its digital transformation agenda.
The continued roll-out of the 5G network, coupled with the landing of the PEACE cable, will enable consumers access superfast internet speeds, particularly in areas with high population density, and for linking connected devices, such as in manufacturing and healthcare.
The PEACE Cable is the sixth submarine cable landing in Kenya, bringing faster and more stable communication services connecting Africa, Europe, and Asia.