Kenya Power stated a month ago that it will begin supplying high-speed internet as part of a package that included energy and internet, to meet the country’s growing internet demand. The company had piloted the service with several corporate users, according to the Business Daily. “In the next two weeks, Kenya Power will implement a lit fibre project with installations beginning in Nairobi on a pilot basis,” In the notice, the company stated. The packages have been priced competitively, according to the company, to obtain a majority of the market share. Zuku, Safaricom, and Jamii Telkom currently own 85.1 percent of the fixed data market in Kenya. Kenya Power’s power grid currently provides digital telecommunication services. The company has a total of 7,000 kilometers of dark fibre, with 23 internet service providers leasing the rest. Kenya Power originally envisioned the fiber optic connections as a way to improve grid monitoring. The company’s massive fiber-optic network, which is connected to its transmission lines, will now offer the cheapest entry into the fixed internet market. “Kenya Power will leverage on our vast network to tap into the market…we will offer the corporates the option of using our internet for their primary use or redundancy.” Kenya Power claims to have a three-year plan to bring internet to homes, with rural areas being the major goal. Electric transmission lines already serve as the foundation for the network that will connect fiber networks to individual homes. “Looking at the business landscape, the opportunities are immense and available for everyone.”
