Over 10m Kenyans to get wireless internet access

Telkom Kenya's Corporate Department Chief Bernard Rubia said reviews are also underway to standardise the company's controversial low call cost tariffs currently at one shilling 38 cents per minute ($1 = about 67 shillings).

Rubia told a press briefing Monday, 29 October, that Telkom Kenya was targeting to provide Internet services to 90% of Kenya's population by January next year.

He also urged the government to gazette bans on the trade in copper and aluminium as a way of stemming the vandalism of Telkom wires across the country.

At the same time, the company plans to reduce the three shilling per minute wireless Internet connectivity cost for corporate institutions by November this year.

He said the reforms would be implemented under its Corporate Reach Service programme which was unveiled last week.

An arrangement that would see the company's limited mobility licence upgraded to a total national mobility licence was awaiting approval from the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK).

Through a broadband video streaming service, Telkom Kenya also plans to provide television services through its wireless technology in the near future.

Earlier this month, Telkom chaired the Information and Communication Technologies at the Humanitarian Development Summit in Kenya.

Telkom was the gold sponsor of the summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, in Nairobi.

"Such involvement is an expression of unwavering commitment by Telkom and its subsidiaries to the attainment of human development in the continent," said John Joseph, Chief Executive Officer for Africa Online.

African Online is a Telkom subsidiary which is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The summit focused on the central theme of the vast capital resources being applied to humanitarian relief and sustainable development from the private sector and global foundations, with the key issue being the most effective allocation and application of these resources.

Joseph added: "Telkom has demonstrated its commitment to community development and, through its Corporate Social Investment (CSI) efforts, it has always sought to contribute to the development of a sustainable future (for young people) based on solid foundations of education and knowledge."

He said that Africa Online will also launch its Africa Online ICT in Schools, a CSI initiative, which aims to make a contribution to the communities in which they operate.

During the launch, Africa Online will announce its adopted school to which it will donate computers worth R70,000.

This forms part of the Telkom Foundation's Adopt-A-Project.

"Our objective is to ensure that we provide a platform for creating a knowledge based society that will impact on the innovation and competitiveness of the Kenyan society in general; with a view to achieving sustainable economic and social growth," said Joseph.

He maintains that Africa Online's CSI efforts are aligned to Telkom's efforts, as the holding company, as "Telkom Foundation has consistently been ranked among the leading social responsibility organisations, and has become a significant stakeholder in education; recognised by the South African Department of Education".

Hailing Telkom's CSI's initiatives, Mr Joseph said that Telkom Foundation's efforts have yielded good results with various needy schools, across South Africa, being connected to the internet superhighway.

"As a leading ICT solutions provider on the continent, it is important that Telkom and its subsidiaries help needy communities to achieve educational goals which, in the long term, will foster sustainable economies on the continent," said Joseph at the time.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews