Kenya's Safaricom Boosting Indoor Mobile Coverage

Kenyan mobile operator, Safaricom is boosting indoor coverage at forty sites around the country - based on InterReach Fusion from ADC. The installation was carried out by AlanDick East Africa, ADCÃ's distributor in Kenya.

ADC said that Safaricom selected its InterReach Fusion systems because they offer precision control of the power output to each remote antenna, which improves call quality and reduces the number of antennas needed at each installation. The InterReach Fusion solution also uses standard structured building cabling and other components that can be sourced locally in Kenya, which reduces installation and maintenance costs.

NairobiÃ's Landmark Plaza complex comprises of a shopping mall, banking hall and offices. Just like many other buildings in the city centre, outside coverage was limited because of the low level of the external antennas and the obstructions caused by adjacent buildings. According to Naran Jadva, project manager at AlanDick, "With the ADC solution, coverage in the 1800MHz and 2100MHz frequencies is optimized in every corner of the building and users donÃ't have to flock to the windows or go outside to make calls. Also important from a business perspective is the systemÃ's ability to provide Internet access through usersÃ' mobile phones wherever they are in the building."

Figures from the Mobile World database subscriber database reports that Safaricom is the market leader with a market share of 86.6% with Celtel coming in at 13.4%. Telkom Kenya (Orange) has just started a "mobile" type service. The country itself has a population penetration level of 35%.

On the web: Mobile World - Safaricom - AlanDick

Posted to the site on 1st December 2008