What’s your pick? Voice or Data transforming Kenyan lives

Nowadays, virtually everyone carries a mobile phone including the young children. They have become the most important item an individual can own. They serve as a communication tool used to make and receive calls as well as send text messages, listen to music, surf the internet and even play mobile games.

Mobile phones are now so common that they hardly attract attention. People have started understanding the value, convenience and ease of owning a mobile phone

Are smartphones too advanced for the rural poor? 

What is a farmer working on the fields in Kenya going to do with high-speed Internet access? He/she is more likely to need information about crop prices, which we can easily send over existing networks.

The reach of the mobile phone by far outnumbers any other communication device.

Internet penetration in Kenya grew by 4.4 percent between October and December 2016 to reach 89.8 per cent up from 82.6 per cent during the previous quarter according to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) Telecommunications Sector statistics for Q4’2016.

In the CAK report, Internet subscriptions recorded an 11.3 percent growth to 26.6 mn subscribers from 23.9 mn registered in Q4’2015.

Mobile data subscriptions continued to account for the majority of the subscriptions, rising by 3.9 percent to 26.5 mn subscriptions. Consequently, the number of estimated internet users grew by 11.5 percent to 39.6 mn users compared to 35.5 mn users registered in Q4’2015.

Safaricom’s case:

8.5 billion minutes in voice traffic  during the quarter under review. This was a decline from 8.7 billion minutes posted in the previous quarter.

12.6 billion messages sent from its network during the period under review down from 15.0 billion messages posted in the previous period.

With regards to the market share for mobile data/Internet subscriptions; Safaricom had
the highest market share during the quarter with its market share standing at 74.9 per cent
followed by Airtel Networks Limited (18.1 per cent), Telkom Kenya Limited and
Finserve Africa Limited market shares were recorded at 6.0 per cent and 0.7 per cent
respectively.

According to Akamai’s ‘First Quarter, 2017 State of The Internet Report’ Kenya was ranked as  world’s 14th-fastest mobile internet speed.  Further,  CA’s report  recorded the number of internet broadband subscriptions to have increased by 76.4 percent during the quarter under review to 12.7 mn from 7.2 mn recorded in Q4’2015, attributed to the affordability of smartphones in the country as well as affordable internet bundles offered by various internet service operators.

Safaricom is looking to harness on this development-through-internet potential by supporting technological knowhow and access to information.

Bob Collymore, Safaricom Chief Executive Officer states that, “Data remains our fastest growing revenue stream and we are focused on growing it further through accelerating smartphone penetration, growing 3G and 4G users, offering relevant content, driving adoption of data bundles and owning the home through our affordable 4G home broadband (theBigbox) and fiber-to-the-home solutions.”

“We are making tremendous effort in investing in the extension of the fibre-optic cable. We are looking at going to 24 counties by the end of the year. We want to bridge the digital divide and that is why we are investing in this area. We will also keep investing in innovations that enhance our customers’ experiences by becoming a platform that offers more solutions like we have done with solutions like Little Ride and Eneza,” adds Collymore. 

Safaricom has already been lauded for having the most advanced network in Africa. It has invested heavily in its Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) by rolling out 4G+ services in major Kenyan towns on its network activated now on over 1,100 sites.

“Our tests reveal that 4G+ allows us to offer the fastest network speeds as it is two times faster than 4G and eight times faster than 3G,” said Bob Collymore, Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom.

“These faster speeds not only benefit the customer, they also empower small businesses who can now use the internet for more commercial activities – democratizing data access.”

Safaricom has already been lauded for having the most advanced network in Africa. It has invested heavily in its Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) by rolling out 4G+ services in major Kenyan towns on its network activated now on over 1,100 sites.

“Our tests reveal that 4G+ allows us to offer the fastest network speeds as it is two times faster than 4G and eight times faster than 3G,” said Bob Collymore, Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom.

“These faster speeds not only benefit the customer, they also empower small businesses who can now use the internet for more commercial activities – democratizing data access.”

Safaricom believes that the role of business extends far beyond making profits, which is why the company sees mobile telecommunications and its related products and services as a unique opportunity to improve the quality of life and contribute to sustainable livelihoods for people throughout Kenya according to the KPMG’s report on Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals in Safaricom’s Strategy.  

Read: Twaweza: Safaricom’s connectivity strategy that creates hope for all

Joseph Ogutu, Strategy And Innovation Department, “The Sustainable Development Goals constitute an integral component of our transforming lives agenda. We will develop business strategies that deliver connectivity and drive innovation to meet the needs of our country and build the future that we want.”

Are smartphones just for the rich and techno-elite, or can 4G networks really offer in-demand services to everyone?

 Reason is, the mobile phone is the one gadget that is going to define how technology and the aspect of ROI (return on investment) reaches the common man at the bottom of the pyramid.

It is the one tool that is converging all gadgets into one platform, after obliterating over 40 different gadgets like the camera, the radio, the torch, just to mention but a few.

The relevance of the mobile phone and the changing of the strategy by the mobile phone providers makes one ask, is the advanced telco market in Kenya a key indicator of what’s happening in other emerging markets?

Through its transformational agenda, is Safaricom retaining its position as king of voice and queen of data?