Airtel plans to introduce its super-fast fifth generation (5G) mobile broadband network next month as it takes on its dominant rival Safaricom which launched the service in October last year.
Bharti Airtel (Airtel Kenya’s holding firm) Chairman Sunil Mittal told a press briefing in Nairobi Wednesday that the company is at an advanced stage of 5G rollout and that the launch will happen sometime early next month.
“We are not too far away from our launch of 5G services, sometime early next month. So we are immediately to the last lap of launch of 5G services,” said Mittal adding that the telco has already rolled out 4G network in every part of Africa, including Kenya.
In February, Airtel had disclosed that its preliminary rollout of the advanced network service would target select high-end Nairobi neighbourhoods that have the enabled gadgets and the purchasing power to ensure business viability.
5G technology is much faster compared to the current widely available 4G, but it, however, requires more expensive smartphones in addition to the expensive data bandles that are out of reach for majority of Kenyans.
Safaricom, which was the first to offer 5G services, has also prioritised areas with a high concentration of rich and middle-class subscribers.
They include among others Nairobi’s Kileleshwa, Muthaiga, Karen, Lavington, Two Rivers Mall and Nakuru’s Greensteds International School.
To date, Safaricom’s 5G service covers 28 towns across Kenya’s 21 counties that include Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado, Kisumu, Mombasa, Kisii and Kakamega.
Others are Kilifi, Kwale, Nakuru, Laikipia, Uasin Gishu, Garissa, Kericho, Marsabit, Meru, Nyeri, Siaya and Vihiga.
Safaricom launched its 5G services with introductory offers ranging from Sh3,499 to Sh14,999 per month depending on the speed and data volume in the packages.
Most 5G-ready phones are priced from Sh25,000 to over Sh150,000 and are mid to high-end devices making them unaffordable to majority of the consumers.
Currently, supported smartphones include 5G-enabled devices from the Samsung Galaxy S and Fold series, Huawei and Oppo 5G devices.
Customers using Apple's iPhones and select 5G-capable Samsung devices require a software update from the manufacturer to access the superfast network.
Airtel has further plans to add 349 network sites and eyes completion by the close of the year, with an additional 300 sites in the pipeline as the firm moves to address connectivity handicaps that have for long encumbered its users.
“Currently, Airtel ’s network infrastructure spans over 3,200 sites,” said Mittal.
