Small scale businesses stand to gain immensely following the launch of 5G technology by Kenya's leading telco company, Safaricom.
Safaricom unveiled the new technology simultaneously in Nairobi and Kisumu on Friday, March 26.
The new tech will be available in areas with no fibre connectivity.
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According to the Safaricom Network Director, James Maitai, ultra-high-speed broadband will first be available in Kisumu and Kisii towns. Later, it will be rolled out in Kakamega, Busia and Bungoma towns, among others.
Maitai said the region has been experiencing erratic network coverage and with the new launch, customers now are assured of high-speed connectivity.
“This technology will further help the government to roll out broadband connection across the country,” he said, adding that youth should take advantage by being innovative.
Among the benefits will be telemedicine, online trading, online gaming, wildlife conservation, food airdrops, entertainment industry, online trading and live streaming, multi-level security, and smart cities.
The system will allow several networks to work on a single network, in what is referred to in technology circles as network slicing.
Once fully rolled out across the country, patients will now be able to have X-rays done and specialists across the world will immediately analyze the results.
This means that patients presenting themselves in hospitals in rural areas with limited capacities will not need to travel to seek health services or wait for long hours for analysis.
It also means that digital services can now be possible to sub-county and ward levels.
Safaricom head of station in the greater Western and Rift region, Patrick Wanjau, said with challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, the introduction of the 5G network will enable users to work from anywhere because it is super-fast.
This will benefit both consumers and enterprise clients who may need high-speed connectivity.
“Our customers have been complaining of poor network services and with this technology, we expect to have better customers because they will experience better services and in turn will spend more on our services,” said Wanjau.
With this technology, payment of rents and land rates will now be happening online.
For YouTube and the gig economy, this new high-speed broadband connectivity will come in handy for those wishing to upload content generated anywhere in the country.
Through this technology, users will be able to integrate more sensors and this will be able to interact and influence the everyday life of the citizens.
The country’s ambition of achieving its dreams such as having smart homes, smart cities, smart education, and smart water meters is likely to become a reality.
The launch in Western Kenya was done at Safaricom’s Kiboswa main station in Kisumu County and attended by Safaricom staff.
