By Cyber Era Reporter
Kenya has become the second country in Africa after South Africa to launch trials for the trail-blazing 5G technology, heralding new opportunities that the technology provides to individual users and enterprises.
The trials of 5G technology by the leading mobile network operator, Safaricom will first be available in Nairobi, Kisumu, Kisii and Kakamega and is expected to be expanded to other 150 sites across nine towns over next 12 months.
5G can support up to 1 million connected devices per square kilometre compared to 4G which can only support up to 100,000 connected devices in a similar area. This makes 5G suitable for providing super-fast internet speeds in high density areas and for linking thousands of connected devices such as in health, manufacturing and supply chain management for businesses.
“I congratulate Safaricom on this milestone, reinforcing the country’s position at being at the forefront of innovation in the region and the world. 5G technology will usher increased internet speeds and capabilities for millions across the country, laying a strong foundation for a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of ICT Innovation and Youth affairs, Joe Mucheru.
The launch of the 5G trial today is a quantum leap forward not only for Safaricom but for the entire country, said Ag. Director General Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), Mercy Wanjau.
“Access to high-capacity and modern ICT infrastructure and services in the country have gone a long way in enabling government, businesses and individuals to not only carry on with life but also mitigate the challenges brought about by the COVID -19 pandemic. The launch of the 5G trial by Safaricom is therefore a step in the right direction as the demand for high-speed Internet has never been higher to meet the needs of our modern economy,” said Mrs. Wanjau.
Nokia and Huawei have been chosen as the two technology partners to implement the roll out of Safaricom’s 5G network. For mobile internet customers, the service will be available on select 5G smartphones from Samsung, Huawei and Nokia.
