Topic: Kenya's Fibre Bonanza- from a south african perspective and analysis

Down one of the streets of Nairobi there is an 8 megabits per second fibre connection to a Kenyan home that I stayed in last week.

It is remarkable for a few reasons: the connection is the newer much faster fibre-optics; and it's for unlimited data, like broadband is around the world.

But the outstanding feature is the price: a mere $50 (about R435) a month for what the industry calls triple-play: an internet connection, a phone line and a TV service.

The service, called Zuku, is offered by Wananchi, one of the largest service providers in Kenya. "The cable TV is a bonus," another subscriber told me.

In a related development, Wananchi has begun offering a free wireless service around Nairobi called Wazi WiFi, hoping, like San Francisco, to kickstart entrepreneurial activity.

Kenya is well known for its clever mobile services, especially the remarkable mapping service Ushahidi and M-Pesa, the mobile payment system through which 20% of the Kenyan GDP now passes.

It is a hotbed of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, which was on display last week at the Open Africa Innovation Summit in Nairobi.

The signs of Kenyan telecoms success are everywhere, nowhere more so than with fibre services like Zuku and Wazi.

This is starkly contrasted with the state of telecoms in South Africa where Telkom continues to be an embarrassing albatross.

The government, Telkom's major shareholder, bizarrely backtracked on its support for the proposed 20% investment by Korea Telecoms last week.

Forget that Eskom plunged the country into darkness a few years ago, Telkom is one of the most key strategic assets that has kept us in the dark ages.

It should be upgrading its extensive network to provide fibre to the home, the wired internet access required for next-generation internet content.

If Kenya, with all of its infrastructure problems, can do it, what is taking Telkom so long?

We can debate the value of having a foreign investor - a previous consortium is considered responsible for the massive R3.5-billion fine proposed by the Competition Commission for anti-competitive behaviour a decade ago.

The South Korean potential partner has rightly been worried about this fine, and the impact it will have on Telkom's depleted cash reserves. Its offer was contingent on the outcome of the competition decision; and it's difficult to say if the fine will have any positive impact on Telkom's future.

But what is clear is that Telkom needs some inspiration.

After selling its stake in Vodacom, it built its own cellular operator, 8ta, which is haemorrhaging money (a loss of R1.1-billion last year). With Cell C announcing aggressive price cuts, it will put 8ta - which is competing for the same pay-as-you-go market - under more pressure.

Telkom has meanwhile lost untold numbers of both voice and data users to the mobile networks because the fixed-line provider still appears not to have realised broadband is a volume business. Mobile data prices are still high, even if they have fallen over the years.

It's not all Telkom's fault. The government has failed the South African consumer by neglecting to provide the right regulatory environment for competition to thrive.

Telkom, which this week was said to be perhaps the biggest telecoms operator in Africa, has announced it is trialling fibre and an upgrade to its ADSL network later this year. Meanwhile, the rest of the industry is eating the once proud monopoly's lunch. And, as Kenya shows, with the right regulatory support, anything is possible.

Telkom snoozed and it's losing


Kenya's fibre bonanza - Times LIVE

nimefurahishwa sana na hii habari ya huyu jamaa wa afrika kusini,hao ni maadui nambari moja wa kenya na ukiona vyaelea jua vimeundwa

Ninapotizama telecoms ya kenya, ipo nambari moja only rivaled by North african countries. Ingawa kawaida unajua media hype iko tu kwenye maovu. However if we can adopt a well organized documentation strategy and policy for such innovations to counter negative hype from the media, this country can be the model that most countries in Africa may want to emulate.

...................And also the way Europe and America are so into the intellectual-property-act/business. Such key innovations can be protected before international thugs attach business trademarks

The MPESA model that has been adopted far and wide as London. ANF, there was a CEO from a certain Hispanic country ambaye alikuja all the way from his country just to see the /Safaricom/MPESA model work. Companies like super-sport are getting a run for their money from companies like zUku n the true entreprenual spirit.

By Kabaridi

Ninapotizama telecoms ya kenya, ipo nambari moja only rivaled by North african countries. Ingawa kawaida unajua media hype iko tu kwenye maovu. However if we can adopt a well organized documentation strategy and policy for such innovations to counter negative hype from the media, this country can be the model that most countries in Africa may want to emulate.

...................And also the way Europe and America are so into the intellectual-property-act/business. Such key innovations can be protected before international thugs attach business trademarks

The MPESA model that has been adopted far and wide as London. ANF, there was a CEO from a certain Hispanic country ambaye alikuja all the way from his country just to see the /Safaricom/MPESA model work. Companies like super-sport are getting a run for their money from companies like zUku n the true entreprenual spirit.

Kinachouma ni kuwa hakuna anayetaka kusikia haya, watu wanashabikia sana negativity, if this post was talking about something negative in Kenya, everyone and their mothers would be here commenting. Kenya is on the right track, especially in ICT, the future of Kenya lies on the oncoming election.

why cant askari kanzu and his side kicks contribute to this most beneficial thread why why why??? ab tichaz please say something

By Nairoberry

why cant askari kanzu and his side kicks contribute to this most beneficial thread why why why??? ab tichaz please say something

I have a feeling some are looking for a photo of a broken telephone pole in Kenya before they join this thread...I can provide a photo to set them off :-)

i hope these somaliz will not blow your fibre cable

By Saint Ivuga

i hope these somaliz will not blow your fibre cable

dont you think you are losing it a full saint thinking evil and by the way there are thousands of those fibre optics cables criss crossing nairobi

By Saint Ivuga

i hope these somaliz will not blow your fibre cable

Here we go!

By kshaka

Here we go!

where? you should ask yourself what are you doing in Somali. you dont know the meaning of negotiation?

blah blah blah...Somalia...blah blah blah...Kenya is bad...blah blah

What has that got to do with this?

By Smatta

Kinachouma ni kuwa hakuna anayetaka kusikia haya, watu wanashabikia sana negativity, if this post was talking about something negative in Kenya, everyone and their mothers would be here commenting. Kenya is on the right track, especially in ICT, the future of Kenya lies on the oncoming election.

Probably those who comment negatively have nothing positive to show but intellectual dearths. And I do not think kenya will sink again like the 2007/8PEV. That was just an error triggered by the actions of hot-headed/selfcentered politicians. Pessimists have all dagger and pens drawn to spell and articulate doom for Kenya. I think the leadership/style to advocate for president in this country should be changed.

[QUOTE=Saint Ivuga;4003059]i hope these somaliz will not blow your fibre cable[/QUOTE

That is why we are in Somalia to blow their heads off! and we want the next president to be the one who will make sure security is his priority.

This article was written by a 'lobbyist' (tobyshapshakbiography - www) on Kenya's fibre bonanza - Times LIVE after knowing that Kenyans love to hear such 'big unrealistic breaking-news' and Kenyans are willing to pay him a big-cheque.

By Nairoberry

Down one of the streets of Nairobi there is an 8 megabits per second fibre connection to a Kenyan home that I stayed in last week.

nataka kujua wat that means exactly. i mean, do u hit 8Mb/s downloads au?? sipo hapa kubash or anything but I can tell u, I pay an arm and a leg for a crappy connection. and yes *sigh* I know tz is no isp paradise, but still, 50$ for such a high speed connection (not including the extras) ??? forgive my skeptism, but nataka proof!! something like my screen shot below ambayo nimechukua right now
Attachment 55699

www.zuku.co.ke/triple-play/triple-play-packages.html

thank u for the link. its as I suspected, an 8Mbps speed or rather 1Mb/s (and thats the very highest u could possibly get). still a good deal for 50$, hongereni kenya but we (we being EAC) still have a long way to go kabla ya kufika true speed capabilities