“Digital Villages” are actually communication centres to house computers, fax machines, scanners and Internet connections for local residents. The Kenyan government wants to bring the centres on board so that people outside of urban areas will have access to information, in step with the government’s rollout of e-government services.
The company, Kenya Data Networks, which is the first Kenya-based data communications carrier to bring WiMAX to Kenya, got its start four years ago being in the right place at the right time. “We got the Public Data Network Operator (PDNO) license in 2003 [by the government] when the data communication market was liberalised in Kenya and private operators allowed to set up,” said Kai Wulff, managing director, on Friday.
KDN paid US$25,000 for its license. The Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) license allows KDN to operate in the 3.5 GHz frequency.
KDN wasted little time in seizing opportunities for broadband network development, in both connectivity-hungry commercial and public sectors. In 2003 KDN launched BWA services with help from WiMAX equipment supplier Alvarion, and in 2005 KDN deployed Alvarion’s BreezeMax platform. Wulff said that WiMAX technology presently connects about 4,500 KDN customers across Kenya.
Earlier this year, KDN announced its intentions to connect 15 schools in Kenya using WiMAX technology. Thus far KDN has connected 13 schools. Another KDN WiMAX undertaking has been in co-operation with Intel. The result has been a proof of concept for Kenya’s Ministry of Education, using Intel-powered Classmate PCs, Wulff added.
KDN’s WiMAX focus is being used to “”enhance the company’s Butterfly communications solution, which encompasses triple-play (voice, data, video) services. According to the company’s web-site, KDN is building its Butterfly network to cover business, residential, and recreational areas. The company mantra for its Butterfly brand is providing “seamless connectivity to individuals whenever wherever,” said Wulff.
As Kenya continues its efforts to advance toward a communications environment amenable to economic growth, challenges other than business competition tease the ambitious KDN. “The greatest difficulty is the cost of power,” Wulff said. “The cost of this is usually a very high percentage of any of our installations.”
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Quelle/Source: WiMAX Day, 17.12.2007
