Kenyan mobile operator Safaricom has entered into a partnership with e-commerce solutions provider Virtual City to provide data services using Enhanced Data-Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology throughout the East African country, with particular emphasis on rural areas.
Safaricom chief commercial officer Peter Arina says Virtual City will be able to provide customised corporate solutions using EDGE technology, as well as create strong mobile communication solutions and e-commerce services especially for subscribers in remote areas.
Arina says Safaricom is building a network that supports business operations in all areas of the country. "EDGE technology can create virtual offices almost anywhere in the country, giving people in the rural areas the power to carry out e-commerce transactions, increase their markets, productivity and competitiveness."
He adds Virtual City will provide a platform to send and receive data faster. Safaricom is charging mobile customers $34 per month to use EDGE and download 3 000MB of triple-play data.
The service automatically switches to GPRS should the customer move to a location without EDGE coverage, says Arina.
Safaricom's EDGE is available on internal roaming with select partner networks, he adds, with future plans to expand the EDGE services into more areas in Kenya, as well as partner with more worldwide networks for EDGE on international roaming.
Rural emphasis
Kenya does not have many terrestrial lines or dependable infrastructure in terms of landlines and dial-up services, says Arina, who notes that mobile telephony with enhanced technology solutions like EDGE is an obvious solution to incorporate rural Kenyans into the business sphere.
Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph states in a company press release that although Africa is a continent where there is only a 7% cellular network penetration, it still has huge potential. Joseph dismisses the idea that rural areas are unprofitable areas for network roll-out.
The technology has so far been implemented in the areas of Nairobi, Mombassa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Naivasha, Masai Mara and the Mount Kenya regions of Nyeri and Nanyuki, says Arina.
According to Joseph, the company has put about $14 million into upgrading and extending the network to make the EDGE and 3G service compliant with the construction of 250 base stations in the next year.
Safaricom controls about 65% of Kenya's mobile market, with the hopes that the network upgrade will raise the subscriber base from about 4.2 million to 5.5 million, he adds.
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