Kenyan telecom operator Safaricom will spend about US$94.8mn in the next four years to lay down a 2,300km fibre-optic cable to support a rising customer base
Safaricom chief executive Bob Collymore (pictured) said the company, which was highly dependent on fibre for voice and internet services, would finance the investment internally.
Collymore added that Safaricom already has 600km of fibre, and would start adding another 800km from November 2012. The work should be completed within 18 months, he noted.
“In the next three years, we will be working on extending our footprint by up to 500km per year. With more demand for higher bandwidth, the expansion will continue in the future,” remarked Collymore. “We anticipate the cost to be about US$23.71mn a year.”
Safaricom currently commands a 67 per cent market share in East Africa’s biggest economy with 19.1mn subscribers and 70 per cent Internet users.
