Kenya: Safaricom signs 4G technology deal

Safaricom is expected to begin technical trial of the 4G (fourth generation) technology on its network within the next two months. The roll out of the next generation Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology (4G) will be carried out by Chinese company, Huawei Technologies.

System, network overhaul

Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph says the company is also keen to overhaul its billing system, core network and expand its 3G network coverage in Kenya.

"We are going to do a technical LTE trial on our spectrum to see if it suits the Kenyan market and its commercial viability. This is completely a technical trial and not a commercial trial and we are going to do the trials within our spectrum in the next two months."

Once the 4G network becomes operational, Safaricom customers will be able to enjoy high speeds of 600MB per second or 1.5G per second in both downloads and uploads.

New billing system

The new technology will enable Safaricom to deliver a combination of services like data, voice, and video and download services like iTunes which will be billed through a different charging system.

Safaricom plans to overhaul its current system to march the precepts of the LTE technology in the next two years. The first phase will include installation of the operating system for the prepaid system, followed by upgrading of the postpaid system which will later include converging both systems to have one billing system. The upgrades are expected to begin in the next six months and will be done in two phases.