from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – THE government has welcomed the launch of the 1 200-kilometre fibre network by Bayobab Kenya.
The company, an entity of the formerly MTN GlobalConnect, has completed the project from the coastal city of Mombasa in the southeast to the town of Malaba in the west.
“This project is a significant milestone in Kenya’s digital transformation,” said John Tanui, Principal Secretary – State Department for ICT and Digital Economy.
He believes this national long-distance fibre network project would enhance last-mile connectivity and support emerging technologies like cloud computing and internet of things (IoT).
“We are proud to collaborate with Bayobab and other providers in Kenya in building a resilient digital ecosystem that will power our nation’s long-term ambitions and ensure no corner of Kenya is left behind in the digital revolution,” Tanui said.
The government anticipates the Bayoba project to provide a backbone from which, among others, internet service providers can tap for last mile connectivity to homes, institutions and enterprises.
This, according to Tanui, will edge the country closer to its target to reach 8,5 million fixed broadband connections, which currently stands at 1,3 million.
Baobab Kenya, part of the Baobab Group, announced the completion and launch of the fibre route this week.
It launched the first phase of the project in 2022. The fibre runs alongside Kenya Railways metre gauge railway line route.
This new fibre route is hailed as representing a significant milestone in boosting reliability and ensuring low-latency connectivity inland and cross-border between the East and West coasts of Africa, according to Bayobab.
It is to eventually link landlocked countries to subsea cables at the port of Mombasa using the shortest route.
– CAJ News