Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) has partnered with the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) in an initiative that will see the telecommunications provider improving its network in the Coastal region.
The partnership will see Safaricom lease two of KETRACO’s fibres in each of the 47km 132kV Rabai – Galu and 320km 220kV Rabai – Malindi – Garsen – Lamu transmission lines for 5 years, to provide a more resilient network in both North and South Coast regions.
“This is one of the initiatives that we are engaged in, in our quest to fulfilling our aspiration to build the Best Network in Kenya. This financial year we have set aside in excess of Kshs. 33.7 billion in ensuring that our customers enjoy the best quality of service on our network,” said Bob Collymore, Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom.
He said, “The additional capacity also complements our more than 2,000 kilometre fibre capacity that has enabled us offer more reliable integrated services across the country. As we speak, more than 30% of our base stations are connected to the fibre.”
KETRACO was granted a Network Facility Provider Tier 2 (NFPT2) License by Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) in 2014. It gives the Company authority to lease out fibre to licensed Application and Content Service Providers as a way of diversifying the company’s revenue base.
“KETRACO’s completed transmission lines are traversing the whole country and the region and this will connect the Company’s fibre to the national fibre backbone creating a resilient web with sufficient protection. In return, licensed service providers will benefit from reliable service with less latency,’’ said FCPA Fernandes Barasa, Ag. Managing Director, KETRACO.
Currently, KETRACO is implementing various projects comprising of approximately 3,256km electricity transmission lines- with concurrent fibre connectivity. The major projects include the 400kV Mombasa- Nairobi, 220kV Olkaria- Suswa transmission lines.