• The largest demand has been on Home offers boosted by remote working and online study;
• Telkom has also launched the Soma na Telkom Bundles – monthly data packages for learning institutions to boost their e-learning programmes.

Nairobi, April 17, 2020: Telkom has recorded a 50% spike in data consumption on its network, following weeks of significant increase in usage of its Home products and other tailored data solutions. This comes at a time when the national government and local health authorities have been urging Kenyans to stay home, as much as possible, as a means of reducing the spread of COVID-19. As a result, more and more Kenyans are making the switch to conducting their affairs, virtually, from home: working from home, distance learning and even virtual socialisation.

Telkom’s Chief Executive Officer, Mugo KIBATI says:

“We appreciate the role our network is playing in keeping our customers connected, at a time such as this. In the past month, we have experienced a sharp increase in data usage on our network. This is as a result of the increased number of users: business owners, employees, teachers, students, and other professionals, who must now minimise their movement but still meet their contractual, professional, business or educational obligations.”

Telkom also notes that the growth being seen on its network is most notable in residential areas that had not been initially dimensioned to support such unusually high traffic.

Mr. KIBATI adds:

“To this end, and in light of the increased usage of data during this time, Telkom is already expediting a network optimisation and rebalancing exercise across the country, starting off with areas that we have identified needing immediate intervention.”

Telkom is also in talks with several learning institutions to support their e-learning programmes. It launched the Soma na Telkom bundles, a monthly data package targeted at universities and colleges, to enable these institutions to continue teaching remotely. Already, the telco is working with the University of Nairobi, the KCA University, USIU-Africa, and the Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI), providing them with Data offers and Internet solutions, tailored to the needs of their faculty, staff and students, as more schools and institutions of higher learning adopt e-learning approaches.

“We also keep on assessing the viability of alternative avenues to better enable our customers to go about their daily lives, cognisant of the need for them to stay at home as much as possible, during this time. We urge Kenyans to stay home and to stay safe, as we do our bit to keep them connected,” concludes Mr. KIBATI.

Telkom also recently announced, that its partnership with Loon, the Alphabet Company working to bring balloon-powered Internet to Kenya, has received all regulatory and Cabinet approvals to begin flying balloons in Kenya. Once the balloons are in place over the coming few weeks, this new technology will complement Telkom’s ongoing strategy to further widen its network coverage, confirming the telco as Kenya’s preferred data network.

Ends…/

About Telkom

Telkom connects the people that keep Kenya on the move. It does this by providing integrated telecommunications solutions to individuals, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Government and large corporates in Kenya, drawing from a diverse solutions suite that includes voice, data, mobile money as well as network services. Powered by its vast fibre optic infrastructure, it is also a major provider of wholesale carrier-to-carrier traffic, within the country and the region.

Telkom is building on strong, consumer-centric ethos that is committed to providing innovative, accessible and refreshingly simple communications solutions that suit customers’ everyday communication needs.

Established as a telecommunications operator in April 1999, Telkom is 60 per cent owned by Helios Investment Partners, with the remaining stake held by Kenyans through the Government of Kenya. Telkom Kenya owns a 23% stake in TEAMS, a 5,000km undersea fibre optic cable through Fujairah, UAE; a 10% stake in LION2 another 2,700km undersea fibre optic cable through Mauritius. It also owns a 2.6% stake in the East African Submarine System Cable and manages the National Optic Fibre Backbone, an inland fibre optic cable network running through Kenyan counties. The arrival of DARE 1 with Telkom as the landing partner further reinforces its role in the management of the National Optic Fibre Backbone.

Please visit www.telkom.co.ke to get to know more about Telkom.

For clarification, please contact: George Mlaghui | gmlaghui@telkom.co.ke

Follow Telkom on Twitter: @TelkomKenya