Telkom Kenya To Revolutionize Internet in Kenya Through LOON

Last Week, Kenya’s telecommunications operator, Telkom Kenya, announced a historic partnership with Loon, a subsidiary of Alphabet.

The partnership between the two giants is meant to set up, enhance and pilot an innovative 4G/LTE access network service in Kenya.

According to Loon management, their partnership with Telkom goes down in history as their first commercial service in Africa.

The coming of Loon is set to revolutionize the internet access in Kenya. Given the Telkom Kenya’s new data products that have left Kenyans running for more, the partnership is meant to make the experience even better.

What is Loon?

Many people in Kenya and Africa in general, have no idea what LOON is all about. In fact, most Kenyans, apart from those in the IT sector, heard of the term for the first time after the Loon partnership with Telkom Kenya.

 The Loon service is an innovative approach to providing coverage to rural and suburban areas with lower population densities, using high altitude balloons.

The balloons are operated at 20 kilometers (60,000 feet) above sea level, well away from air traffic, wildlife, and weather events.

The balloons act as floating cell towers, transmitting service directly to a user’s phone below.

See the video below on how Loon Works

 Why Loon

 According to data by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), Kenya’s internet penetration stood at 112 percent for the quarter of September 2017.

Although the figures seemed extraordinary because they translated to at least 51.1 million Kenyans being internet users in a country of about 45 million people, they did show how important Kenyans are embracing the internet.

However, internet penetration is more in major urban centers but less in rural and most suburban centers.

The coming of LOON, means, those areas that traditionally are known not to have any internet reception at all, will be in a position to.