East Africa gets first commercial 5G services
from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
NAIROBI – EAST Africa’s first commercial fifth generation networks (5G) services has been launched in Kenya.
Nokia is powering the services with Safaricom, the leading telecoms operator in the country.
Nokia’s 5G Single Radio Access Network (SRAN) technology and 5G FastMile gateways enable ultra-fast Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services to subscribers across Kisumu and the Western Province of Kenya.
5G technology will enable new applications in areas such as virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence (AI) for Safaricom subscribers.
It will also benefit enterprises across important energy, healthcare, education, transport and entertainment applications.
“We are proud to be the first operator in the East Africa to launch 5G services, bringing the benefits of 5G technology to our customers,” said Peter Ndegwa, Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom.
He said 5G capabilities would change a lot of things in unimaginable ways for people and enterprises, playing a key role towards fulfilling Safaricom’s vision to transform lives.
“Our long-term partner Nokia’s technologies and services expertise helped us achieve this milestone in our journey to provide world-class broadband services to our customers,” Ndegwa added.
Amr El Leithy, Senior Vice President, Middle East and Africa Market, Nokia, said with over 200 commercial 5G agreements with leading customers across the globe, Nokia brought 5G network to every part of the world.
“Our 5G network for Safaricom is a key part of this journey and we are committed to working with the operator to transform the communications landscape in the country. This will open new business opportunities for Safaricom,” El Leithy said.
– CAJ News
