Safaricom to roll out faster data access

Safaricom on Thursday received a licence to roll out third generation (3G) mobile systems and services.

This will enable subscribers access to high speed data communications, which include faster access to internet, video conferencing and video phone, among others.

Safaricom, which has consistently posted huge profits in recent years, is running ahead of the competition. However, competition is expected to intensify with the anticipated entry of other players, among them the third mobile operator, Econet Wireless, which will roll out early next year.

Last Wednesday, Safaricom CEO, Michael Joseph, said the company's profits will come under pressure for the next five years as more players emerge. The roll out is hence, among the firm's strategies to beat off competition.

Last year, Safaricom posted Sh17.2 billion, the highest in the East African region.

Communications Commission of Kenya, director general, John Waweru said 3G enabled services will facilitate e-applications in medical, education and business.

He said although the 3G systems were used more in developed countries, they would assist developing countries to 'leapflog and close technology gaps with the developed countries.'

He added that CCK had requested Safaricom and Celtel to undertake trials on the third generation service in Nairobi and Mombasa, and the services have proved to be of quality.

Mr Waweru said Safaricom should introduce innovative services the like introduced in Singapore last week, where parents were enabled to monitor their children, residence and streets.

"It is my hope that Safaricom will roll out many innovative services in 3G whose uptake would be targeted across the board to meet the needs of all consumers of mobile telephone services," he said.

The licence cost $25 million (Sh1.7 billion). Mr Joseph said the firm will use an equal amount to build the infrastructure for the 3G services.

Mr Waweru said the licence fee will be used to expand Information Communication Technology (ICT)

Vodacom Tanzania: The better choice too!

The beauty of travelling is that you do get exposed to different aspects of life other than what you would consider the norm back at home. Here I am in Dar es Salaam, using my Safaricom pre-paid line on Tanzania's Vodacom platform.

What suprised on Monday when I landed here, was that pleasant suprise that the Safaricom 200 postpaid customer care line is actually accessible to us prepaid users! Now that was a shocker for me!

Anyway aside from that, the only dissapointment was that I could not surf on my Samsung E250 as the Safaricom GPRS settings here are not valid. Upon calling Safaricom customer care, they did actually inform me that they were working on that technicaility. It was good to call and sms home at the same rate as though we were back home. The only downside, Safaricom scratch cards are hard to come by here, and if you do get them, watch out for the extra service charge. Maybe one day they might operate like Celtel, where you can use the local scratch cards to top up your line.

The pleasant experience was the 3G service offered by Vodacom here. Here they offer anything from a 500 MB internet bundle per month at Ksh. 3,500 to an astonishingly 2 GIG bundle per month at Ksh. 9,600! Now that is what we have been talking about for so long. They also offer 3G HSDPA Data Card (Huawei E620) and the USB Modem (Huawei E220) to both postpaid and prepaid users, though still yet to confirm what the actual download and upload speed rates are. Apart from the traditional services they also offer support for video calls.

But not too worry Safaricom has just unveiled plans to roll out the 3G mobile platform in Kenya by December! After all, they are both subsidiaries of the UK Vodafone company, or aren't they?