Technology services group AccessKenya has increased its bandwidth capacity from 100Mbps to 250Mpbs in under a year. This is according to Jonathan Somen, MD of AccessKenya.
He says the company has upped bandwidth supplies in a bid to satisfy a growing demand for high-speed Internet access, most notably in the corporate sector.
The company recently signed a contract with its international bandwidth suppliers in order to secure the extra bandwidth. Three data uplinks and three data downlinks were installed in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to create extra redundancy on their international network, explains Somen.
The company has contracts lined up with other bandwidth vendors, for the first quarter of next year, to keep pace with the growing demand, he adds.
The ISP began offering a Broadband Max 2 product last year, which has quadrupled bandwidth downlink speeds and has fuelled demand and growth for high-speed Internet access in the business sector.
Somen further attributes the growth and bandwidth demand to market deregulation, which has allowed the company to increase its licence portfolio. "This has allowed the business to expand accordingly, in line with Kenya`s economic growth."
AccessKenya recently acquired a Data Carrier Network Operator License (DCNO) that gives it total control of the entire service network. "It allows the company to purchase bandwidth from overseas satellite bandwidth providers and directly deliver it to clients over the network," he says.
Although there is an increased demand for bandwidth, pricing is very high for suppliers, as well as customers because of satellite transmission, Somen adds.
"With the imminent arrival of the submarine fibre optic cable owned by Seacom, in the next 18 months, Kenya will experience more affordable bandwidth pricing."
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