ELECTRICITY distributor Kenya Power has set up a telecommunication department to manage its fibre optic business unit.
The new business unit will be known as U-Telco through which Kenya Power will deliver complete line of telecommunications products to Communication Commission of Kenya-licensed application and content service providers.
“This will enable the licensed service providers to meet their ever increasing bandwith demand for voice, data and video,” a Kenya Power notice in a section of the media said.
The power utility firm established the fibre optic business ealry 2010 and has since signed lease agreements with telecom companies such as Safaricom, Kenya Data Network, Jamii Telecommunications and Wananchi Group.
These companies use the Kenya Power to prevent communication breakdown in times of cable cuts.
Cable theft interrupts business operations, and increases maintenance costs of the cable lines. The use of the KPLC over-power line cables reduce the losses that customers incur every month due to vandalism which runs into billions of shillings.
The power lines available for use include the Nairobi-Mombasa, Nairobi-Tororo, Nairobi-Nanyuki, Muhoroni-Kisii, Lessos-Muhoroni, Muhoroni-Kisumu and Lessos-Eldoret.
“The company's target is to have more routes in service on a quartely basis,” said Kenya Power.
The firm said the extensive telecommunications network will also provide inter-connection for Kenya to the entire Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa region and beyond.
Kenya Power said it is currently offering dark fibre on five, 15, and 20 year rights of use at competitive market driven prices. When KDN signed the agreement in November 2010, they were to pay Sh194 million annually to KPLC for the service.