Alphabet’s Loon and Telkom Kenya to bring internet to the country
Project Loon will use high-altitude balloons to deliver 4G internet connectivity to the country, especially its rural areas
Nairobi — Alphabet’s Loon said on Thursday it would deploy its system of balloons to beam high-speed internet access with Telkom Kenya from next year to cover rural and suburban populations, marking its first commercial deal in Africa. Known as Project Loon, the technology was developed by Alphabet’s X, the company’s innovation lab. It has since become Loon, a subsidiary of Alphabet, which is the parent company of Google. The technology was used by US telecom operators to provide connectivity to more than 250,000 people in Puerto Rico after a hurricane last year. Kenya hopes the technology can help achieve full internet coverage of its population. "Loon’s mission is to connect people everywhere by inventing and integrating audacious technologies," said Alastair Westgarth, the CEO of Loon. Telkom Kenya is the third biggest operator in the country behind market leader Safaricom and Bharti Airtel’s Kenyan unit. "We will work very hard with Loon to deliver the first commercial mobile se...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.