Justus Ondari
16 November 2007
Nairobi — A deal between Safaricom and leading search engine Google, has the potential to boost the number of internet users in Kenya to 4.4 million.
Since the internet first came to Kenya 12 years ago the number of users locally is estimated at just 2.7 million, Google office leader for East Africa, Joseph Mucheru said in a statement.
Under the deal signed on Thursday, Safaricom subscribers with data enabled handsets will now access free e-mail from Google on their mobile phones.
Chief executive officer, Michael Joseph revealed that the deal will benefit 1.7 million out of Safaricom's 8.5 million subscribers. Although accessing the service is free, Mr Joseph added, subscribers will be charged normal data usage costs. The deal lays the backbone for Safaricom's soon-to-come third generation (3G) wireless service. The mobile phone service provider will launch a local version of Google Maps for mobile phones, offering subscribers in selected areas user friendly maps and local listings, as well as search and navigation capabilities. Subscribers unable to access the service over their handsets can do so by logging onto the company's web site, further extending the number of internet users in the country.
"Our subscribers will access e-mail and other online services wherever we have coverage," said Mr Joseph at the company's Safaricom House headquarters, after signing the agreement with Google's director of strategy and business operations, Matthew Stepka.
Target groups
Mr Joseph said the service is ideal for small and medium enterprises, students in learning institutions like schools and universities, working Kenyans and the general public.
Each subscriber will have their own personalised e-mail addresses, for instance, i 0722310185@safaricom.com.
Document sharing will enable friends and co-workers to open and edit documents without the need for other applications other than a browser.
As part of the deal, the company will use Google's Apps technology to offer each subscriber over 4.8 gigabytes of storage, search capabilities and e-mail products.
Safaricom's planned commercial 3G network, will offer subscribers access to high speed data communication, allowing them to steam video and television on their phones.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
