Safaricom was the first telco to adopt 5G technology in Kenya earlier in March with 15 sites and is now set to officially commercialize the superfast network in 2022 after increasing 5G sites to 200 by December.
“This year is a trial phase and we intend to have 150 to 200 sites coming from the first use case of homes, especially in places where we do not have fiber. We will be able to test on such areas and help customers in terms of speed and reliability and from next year we can be able to commercialize a bit faster but I will come with that at the appropriate time,” said Safaricom chief executive Peter Ndegwa.
In March, the telco unveiled 15 5H sites which were installed in Nairobi, Kisumu, Kisii, and Kakamega.
Also Read: 5G Smartphones You Can Buy In Kenya Right Now
At the end of the first quarter of 2021, Safaricom had 5,526 2G base stations, 5,500 for 3G, and 5,387 4G base stations.
The 5G technology can support up to one million connected devices per square kilometer compared to 4G which can only support up to 100,000 connected devices in a similar area.
