Safaricom Boosts Internet Speeds, Unveils New Customer Package

Safaricom has increased internet speeds for its home and business customers to meet the growing needs of individual and enterprise customers.

For Home fibre, Safaricom announced it has also introduced a new ultra-fast 1000Mbps (Gigabit per second) Platinum plan, at $154.44 (KES 20,000) monthly, making Safaricom the first to deliver Giga speeds for home internet in a bid to meet the needs of very heavy users seeking ultra-fast speeds, for example gamers, content creators, virtual reality applications, among others.

Current customers will automatically be upgraded to the enhanced packages to enjoy the faster speeds. Additionally, to enhance experience with your loved ones, Safaricom announced it has launched the Family Share plan, an integrated solution that combines mobile voice, data, SMS, and home internet into a single plan.

The combined plan can be shared with up to five members of your household. Customers also get up to 20 percent discount on the bronze plan compared to buying Fibre and voice/data plan separately, which is a plus in the current economic climate.

“We have enhanced our Home Internet speeds to cater to the increased demand and usage by offering reliable connectivity and enhanced value for our customers. The introduction of the new speeds offers capability of handling the most demanding online activities with ease, including high-definition streaming 4K/8K, gaming, large file transfers, cloud computing, and virtual reality. We have also introduced family share which offers a converged internet and mobile solution for home that can be shared with up to five loved ones.

We are keen to deliver a great experience and value by innovating to meet and exceed customer needs,” Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom PLC.

In addition, Safaricom says it will carry out estate clinics, enhance capacity in congested areas, and avail competitive 4G and 5G propositions for homes in areas outside fibre coverage.

For Enterprise customers, Safaricom has revamped its Business Fibre plans, introducing new speeds of up to 1 Gbps for Medium and Large Enterprises in addition to increased speeds for Micro and Small Enterprises.

The Medium and Large Enterprises will enjoy competitive Dedicated Internet plans of up to 1Gbps that will give them the flexibility, reliability and uptime to meet their needs. These plans include features such 24/7 proactive monitoring, network visibility, burstability, backup options (over fibre, 5G or wireless connectivity), static IP support, embedded security and an impressive 99.99% uptime.

“The needs of our Enterprise customers are changing each day with the growing need to use technology. The enhanced fibre for business plans will allow our enterprise customers have a worry-free experience with the provision of back up data,” Mr. Ndegwa said.

The new business fiber plans start with a 15mbps shared option, ideal for micro-businesses with up to five users or connected devices. This plan includes 5GB of mobile backup data to ensure continuous operations during disruptions, along with 400 minutes of voice service for seamless communication.

For small enterprises looking to grow, Safaricom is offering a 50mbps shared plan that supports up to 15 users. It comes with 15GB of mobile backup data to maintain service during fiber outages or scheduled maintenance. The plan also includes a Closed User Group (CUG) voice plan, providing unlimited voice communication for up to three users.

The 100mbps shared plan is designed for growing enterprises with multiple outlets and can support up to 50 users or devices. Similar to the 50mbps plan, it offers 15GB of mobile backup data and the CUG voice plan for unlimited calls among three users, ensuring businesses can stay connected without interruption.

The shared Businesses business plans of 15Mbps, 50Mbps and 100Mbps plans will also receive a generous one time offer of 30GB mobile data bundle for new customers and a free email & website domain for the first year.

These initiatives are the first of many that the technology company says it plans to roll out over the next 13 months to drive deeper engagement with customers and partners, as it gears to celebrating 25 years of operations in the market.

As uptake of home and business internet continues to grow, Safaricom increased its Fibre footprint by over 3,000 kilometers in the last financial year, putting its total coverage across the country at more than 17,000 kilometers. This saw over 110,000 new customers, consisting of homes and businesses, connect to the service during FY24, resulting in over 370,000 homes and 32,000 businesses now being connected to fast and reliable internet through Safaricom.