Safaricom announced plans to double its 4G network coverage to 5000 base stations by March 2020, covering all major towns and 80% of the Kenya population.
The announcement was made by the company CEO Bob Collymore as he released financial results for the year ending 31st March, 2019 which saw net income increase by 14.7% to KES 63.4 billion with revenue hitting KES 240.3 billion.
Safaricom expects to spend over KES 36 billion in driving up additional 4G coverage, which will see the company roll out an additional 2,030 4G and 4G+ base station to reach more than 80 per cent of the population.
Safaricom said it became the first to roll out a 4G network in Kenya in 2014, and in June 2017, became the first in East Africa to upgrade a section of its 4G network to 4G+. 4G provides customers with speeds of up to 100 Megabits per second with Safaricom’s 4G+ network supporting double the 4G speeds.
According to Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom,"For a majority of Kenyans, the mobile phone is often the first and only link to the Internet. By broadening our 4G coverage to almost anyone in the country, we aim to ensure that no one has to miss an opportunity or get left out because of lack of access to affordable, quality, high-speed broadband."