The Soko Directory team had a sit-down with the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Broadband Communications Network Mr. Benard Gichia Wahome, the brain behind a thriving tech company that is not only spreading wings in Kenya but in Africa.
Many people actually don’t know that Broadband Communications Network is behind several successes realized by the giant telecommunications company, Safaricom, in terms of infrastructure layout to enhance network coverage and call clarity.
As Safaricom celebrated 20 years of being in Kenya, it embarked on showing Kenyans what lies behind the curtains. To most people, the final product is what matters but there are so many people and processes that take place before the final product lands on the table.
As Mr. Wahome put it, the telecommunications industry is much more complicated than just making calls and sending messages. There are so many players along the chain that are always working to ensure that the network is not only strong but the speed and the quality of the calls being made too.
So, who are Broadband?
“We are a communication Technologies Organization dedicated to providing Complete Communication Network Solutions for; Network Operators, Communication Regulators, Broadcasting Houses, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) Utilities, Governments, UN bodies, and large business organizations in Africa,” said Mr. Wahome.
The has provided services to companies such as Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom, Orange, YU, Tigo, JTL, EatonTowers, Communications Authority of Kenya, Nokia, Ericsson, among others in terms of enhancing their technological wings within and without Kenya.
“Over the year, we have mainly been doing four activities; network solutions, (covering a complete 2G and 3G and LTE network solutions), testing, measuring and conformance and monitoring of networks solutions, customer experience, and management solutions,” he said.
Broadband engineers have implemented large Telecom Network Projects across Africa, including, Zimbabwe, Angola, Malawi, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali, Tanzania, Congo B, Gabon, Sudan besides many in Kenya.
“To achieve our objectives, we have partnered with major global tier 1 manufacturers to deliver the desired solutions to our customers. Our partners include Nokia Aviat, Emerson, Rohde & Schwarz, Viavi, Tektronix, Netscout among others,” he said.
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The Green Power
Broadband is among the pioneers of “green power” in Kenya; that is, helping companies embrace the use of green energy to save the world against poisonous gases that are threatening the Ozone layer.
The communication industry in Kenya is one of the biggest consumers of energy today. “It is important to ensure that we do not continue endangering the environment and Broadband is leading in that front.”
Snapshot of Safaricom partnership
Mr. Wahome says that the company has specialized in putting down the infrastructure for mobile operators in Kenya with its biggest customer being Safaricom PLC. The company is actually behind Safaricom’s efforts to cover the whole country in terms of network coverage.
The company was handling three-quarters of Safaricom’s infrastructure, including the building of sites that have placed Safaricom ahead of competitors in the telecommunications industry.
“We have people who are always working around the clock to ensure that the network is up. Even the quality of calls that people make depends on our engineers who are always working to ensure that people making calls receive the best,” he said.
READ: Mobile Data Traffic In Sub-Saharan Africa To Grow 6.5 Times By 2026
Truly Kenyan
According to Mr. Wahome, Broadband is the only company in Kenya that is fully Kenyan that provides such services in Kenya. With a gap in the mobile network, Mr. Wahome decided to quit his job to fill the space in network optimization that was being eyed by foreign companies.
With at least 160 staff, the company is in the process of opening offices in Ghana and Ethiopia, a move that will see the number of staff growing.