Poa! Internet today announced the completion of Kenya’s largest public Wi-Fi network with the deployment of more than 3,000 hotspots across Nairobi and Kiambu counties, and the launch of seamless home broadband and street Wi-Fi for its subscribers, in technology first in East Africa.
This announcement reaffirms the firm’s previous commitment which was targetting 20,000 homes in Nairobi.
The low-cost Internet Service Provider provides free public Wi-Fi to all of its broadband subscribers whenever they connect to any of the hotspots across its network of low-income and rural communities in and around Nairobi, being: Kibera, Jamhuri, Kawangware, Kangemi, Kabiria, Waithaka, Racecourse, Kinoo, Dagoretti, Kikuyu, Kiambu, Ting’ang’a, Kirigiti, Ndumberi and Githunguri.
UKO POA Wi-Fi can also be used by non-broadband subscribers at prices far lower than traditional data bundles. For these pay-as-you-go users, the Wi-Fi network, at speeds of up to 2Mbps, offers unlimited volumes of data for just Sh10 an hour, or Sh50 a day.
“UKO POA saves consumers at least half the cost of buying internet and ends the tradition of counting MBs. They can stream or download files as large as they like, opening up the Internet to far richer use at a far lower cost,” said Andy Halsall, CEO of poa! Internet.
The new integrated network has been made possible through poa!’s partnership with global Wi-Fi solutions provider Fon. Fon’s partnership with poa! is its first in East Africa.
Fon is a global Wi-Fi network. It pioneered residential Wi-Fi sharing over a decade ago and, together with leading telcos, it has built the world’s largest Wi-Fi community of over 21 million hotspots. Fontech, the technology arm of Fon, makes managing and operating Wi-Fi smart and simple for operators and enterprises by its software-based solutions. Fon’s and Fontech’s global clients include AT&T, British Telecom, Telstra, KPN, SFR, Deutsche Telekom Group and Vodafone Group.
“We realized that if we were truly going to deliver a step-change in access to the Internet in Kenya, we needed to innovate and build new business models around next-generation technology,” said Andy.
“Fon developed the Wi-Fi sharing model that now dominates the Internet landscape in the West. Wi-Fi sharing access points provide Internet in homes and on the streets of many developed nations, and we are proud to bring this technology to East Africa” said Andy.
“High-speed home broadband with free access to thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots, and low-cost unlimited internet access on the street for those who can’t afford a home connection is transformational in bringing affordable internet to all Kenyans,” said Andy.
Poa! Internet has more than doubled its coverage areas and speeds in the last half year and has announced that it will be adding over 30 new area networks in the first half of 2019.
