Kenya: Safaricom Starts Faster Phone Service

Kenya: Safaricom Starts Faster Phone Service

The third generation Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) known as 3G will run on a pilot basis for one year before being officially rolled out.

Chief executive Michael Joseph said the packet-based technology will initially be confined around Westlands. It will enable the storage of data in discrete packets unlike in the current technology where a call ties up the network resources. It will also be four times faster than the current technology. Mr Joseph said in Nairobi that upon proof of viability, the network will be unveiled in selected parts of the country. "This is an expensive technology that requires new base stations and links and we are initially targeting corporate bodies but provisions will be made for such institutions like schools and hospitals in the rural areas," he said.

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