Safaricom, Kenya’s largest mobile telecommunications company plans to invest Sh30 billion ($335 million) in upgrading its infrastructure to improve its voice and data offering.
“Over the last year we have seen a lot of growth in data and voice traffic, which necessitates us to better our infrastructure, Business Daily quoted Safaricom’s CEO, Bob Collymore, as saying in an interview.
Collymore stressed the need for the telecoms giant to continue revitalizing its network to ensure it meets the growing demands of subscribers.
Safaricom currently has 3,140 2G and 1,847 3G base stations, but it is the 2G network that covers 90 percent of the population while the 3G network stands at 58 percent. The company therefore intends to spend the money over the next six months on the expansion and upgrade of its transmission stations around Kenya. The 2G base stations will be converted to 3G, it was gathered.
According to Collymore, with focus on improving capacity in congested urban areas, the remaining nine percent of the country where Safaricom does not have coverage will also be fitted with 2G network.
The 3G networks in urban areas where data consumption is highest will be improved, forming the base on which an upgrade to 4G network can be done.
The fresh capital is expected to help Safaricom meet quality of service standards set by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) and reviewed annually.
