Safaricom has announced the availability of 5G Wi-Fi in its latest move to onboard more customers to the fifth generation technology standard for broadband cellular network.
Safaricom was the first service provider in Kenya and the region to announce 5G trials in March last year, and this development now empowers customers in 5G-ready areas to enjoy fast and reliable internet connectivity for their homes and businesses.
“We believe in the transformative power of the internet and will continue to deliver the most advanced technologies towards enabling our customers enjoy a digital lifestyle,” CEO Peter Ndegwa said.
Currently, Safaricom has 35 active 5G sites spread across Nairobi, Kisumu, Kisii, Kakamega and Mombasa, and it plans to expand to 200 sites across the country by March 2023.
The increasing 5G network coverage is expected to enable financial institutions to execute more complex processes and with greater speed.
It also has potential to operate at a speed of 100 times faster than 4G, experts say, which is the most used in the country currently.
Availability of 5G network also means reduced time taken in moving data between two points, with institutions such as the media benefiting.
According to tech firm-Huawei, 5G adoption will also enable digital transformation, propelling growth of smart healthcare, smart ports, smart mining and smart manufacturing.
Kenya was the second country in Africa after South Africa to launch 5G wi-fi network
It can support up to 1 million connected devices per square kilometre, compared to up to 100,000 for 4G.
Safaricom plans to provide 5G data packages for mobile internet customers and leverage the Lipa Mdogo Mdogo device-financing solution to avail more affordable 5G smartphones.
Customers using supported 5G smartphones will also be able to access the 5G network.
The supported smartphones include 5G-enabled devices from the Samsung Galaxy S and Fold series, as well as Huawei and Oppo 5G devices.
The telco notes that customers using iPhones and select 5G-capable Samsung devices will require a software update from the manufacturer to access the 5G network.
Over the years, Safaricom has consistently invested in its network, with its 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G in aggregate covering over 99 per cent of Kenya’s population.
