Internet Access in Kenya is Growing Fast
Just a few years ago, most Kenyans would not have been able to tell you much about the Internet, let alone have access to it. However, now, over 90% of the population go online every day and this sudden, rapid change has transformed people’s lives and the economic future of the country.
Connecting the country to the global Internet community in such a short space of time was a task no one would have thought possible. The time-scale factor alone seemed nearly impossible, given Kenya’s rural status and the inaccessibility of outlying villages. But in 2013, the National Broadband Strategy was launched, sending out fiber optic cables across the nation in an attempt to encourage more local content online.
At the same time, advances in mobile technology meant that just about everyone could afford a smartphone, and could connect to the Internet via mobile towers. This meant that a whole new world of opportunities had opened up, and everything from sending money to friends and family to finding the best betting sites Kenya has to offer was now a possibility. Even though mobile payments in Kenya been around, such as Airtel and MTN Mobile PAyments, more possibilities open up when you can go online on your phone to make payments using your banking app.
By 2017, Kenya was enjoying average Internet speed of 13.7 megabits per second, which incidentally worked out to be the 14th fasted average in the world at the time. The expansion of mobile telecoms, fiber optics and ADSL meant that the majority of the country was suddenly part of the worldwide community of Internet users.
Internet Reaching Outlying Villages in Kenya
In 2018, more efforts are being made to reach even the most remote of villages with high-speed Internet connectively. One project hoping to get the go-ahead is Alphabet Inc’s Project Loon. This Google-owned company made headlines in 2017 when they provided temporary Internet connectively to 250 000 people after Hurricane Maria wiped out the country’s infrastructure. Alphabet is now in talks with local operators and plans to roll out balloons to supply high-speed Internet to remote villages.
The desire to get connected has infected every part of the country and sparked some ingenious technology. One locally based start-up got funding from Microsoft and uses under-utilized television frequencies to provide basic Internet connectivity to outlying communities.
Even some of the bigger companies like Poa! Internet are giving villages unlimited Wi-Fi. They have already launched services in the low-income areas of Kabiria, Kibera, Jamhuri, and Kawangware, and now, they are coming to villages, starting with Ting’ang’a. Going forward, their aim is to provide more affordable high-speed Internet to compete with mobile 4G data.
Overall, Kenya is showing the fastest growth in Internet technology in Sub-Saharan Africa and far exceeds their peers in both mobile and broadband penetration.
Making Money Online in Kenya
For Kenya, full and functional broadband Internet connectivity means having access to a completely new way of life. Even people in the most remote parts of the country can use the Internet to create business opportunities, sell merchandise, create community forums, and access unlimited forms of entertainment and knowledge. Mobile sports betting has also become increasingly popular, with many people accessing the best betting sites Kenya has to offer using free Wi-Fi and their mobile phones. Betway Kenya and Betin Kenya has seen the possibilities of increasing internet access and are two of the most popular betting companies in Africa that currently expanding and investing money on the continent. With all this new information available people can easily get lost and its here African Betting Guide steps in, providing Africa with winning advice and offer easy access to safe mobile betting opportunities online.
The Internet can be seen as a living, growing identity with unlimited power and possibilities. If we look at models of first-world countries where Internet penetration has been prevalent since the late 90’s, the majority of businesses use online interfaces in some form or another. Mobile betting sites are further proof of this, and some of the most successful local and global brands now offer their services to the digital world.
The Digital Future of Kenya
The Internet is a tool that is adaptable to a community and country in whatever way it needs to be used. Now that Kenya has the technology to create a completely new digital culture, it is up to the people to mold their own future. As Joseph Mucheru puts it;
“If you are not online, you are left behind and the way things are going, no one in Kenya is getting left behind.”
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