Leading Corporate Internet and IT Solutions Provider AccessKenya Group has acquired additional international broadband capacity to support its ambitious growth plans.  The STM-4 line with a capacity of 620 Megabytes on Seacom is intended to bolster the firm as it actualizes its network expansion strategy to cover all the 47 counties in Kenya. According to Raymond Macharia, AccessKenya’s Chief Technical Officer, the acquisition offers continued diversity in undersea fiber routes with capacity on multiple networks. This includes alternative paths through Mumbai and South Africa, which are helpful when Middle Eastern routes are unstable.

“To date, AccessKenya has deployed capacity of above 3.5 gigabytes giving us excellent and guaranteed service delivery options. With capacity on TEAMS, Seacom and Eassy cables we see this as a great value proposition to the market as we grow our services”, said Macharia.

In a bid to allow small and medium sized businesses accept Mpesa payments, CFC Stanbic bank has launched ‘Till2Bank’ – a service which integrates Safaricom’s Mpesa mobile payments system with its banking platform allowing SME’s to receive payments via Mpesa. Unlike normal Mpesa transactions, Till2Bank service enables payments to be loaded directly on client’s bank account rather than Mpesa account. The service utilizes Safaricom’s ‘Lipa na Mpesa’ platform and Kopo-Kopo merchant services. All payments made via Till2Bank will be credited to entrepreneur’s CFC account on demand rather than wait for 24hr-48hr as it is now.

 Speaking on the development, CFC’s head of personal and business banking Mr. Adam Jones said they were delighted to be the first bank signing on to Mpesa’s acquiring model and to roll out such capability aimed at easing the burden of periodic banking of cash by its business clients.  He also acknowledged the service would minimize risks involved in handling and transferring cash from their businesses to the bank.

Players in the telecommunications service industry are raising concerns over the manner in which the Kenyan government is  proposing to handle the Communications Authority  of Kenya (CAK), transition out of KENIC- the .ke domain manager. The .ke domain registry has two guarantor shareholders, the industry lobby group Telecommunications Service Providers Association of Kenya (TESPOK) and Communications Authority of Kenya formerly CCK. While lauding the move to have the regulator step down from the board of the domain manager, there is a need to ensure a smooth institutional transition and service delivery.

The association through its Chairman Mr. Kris Senanu says the CAK should not feel that they can proceed to change the operations of the organization without due consultations. The official proposed structure is currently open for public input and consultations; a process expected to close on 10^th February 2014. He adds that at no point in time has the CAK communicated to TESPOK the other partner in this arrangement on the proposal to commercialise, .ke as announced recently in a local business newspaper.

We’ve all at some point used or seen someone utilize credit facilities offered by mobile service providers such as Okoa Jahazi that allows users to borrow airtime that can be used at that point and pay later. I wouldn’t say that I’m a big fan but most Kenyans find them convenient especially in urgent situations. Following suit was the ability to share Internet bundles with family members and friends; and guys, I can proudly admit I’ve been using this service for almost on a daily basis. In a rather interesting twist, Airtel Kenya has introduced Kopa internet – a service that will see subscribers request for internet bundles on credit and pay within 72 hours when they’ve got money, it’s a service that best suits individuals who run out of bundles while they still need to access internet but don’t have enough airtime to purchase. As interesting as it may sound, Kopa internet could become more popular than sharing internet considering accounts on which such situations arise.

Despite a reported 75 percent reduction in internet users in Kenya for the first quarter of 2013 according to statistics released by the communications commission of Kenya (CCK), increased adoption of smartphones in the country will see the trend embark on a positive curve. A decline in mobile subscription was blamed for the results owing to an aggressive campaign by CCK to have all subscribers registered. The move which locked-out persons without proper registration details and minors resulted in the decline from 78 percent mobile penetration to 75.8 percent.  However, mobile money services expanded within the same period by 10.1 percent to reach 23.3 million. The same period witnessed an increase in the data market to 9.6 million subscriptions with mobile based data uptake dominating the segment. By unveiling KopaNet therefore, it was an informed decision in my personal perspective given the potential and demand for the same.

How to get Internet Bundles on Credit using KopaNet from Airtel Kenya

• Of course you must have an internet enabled Airtel line
• Or Dial *544# and select Kopa Internet

Limitations of Kopa internet

• Customers can borrow between 70mb and 2.5GB
• Payment should be done within 72hours

E-commerce is finally taking toll in Kenya with various service providers making necessary arrangements to have a share of the pie; however, are we seriously ready for the change? I am one of the proponents for simplified solutions that will not only put Kenya at par with the rest of the world but those which are as well aimed at making our everyday life as efficient as possible. I am a big fan of mobile based services such as Mpesa for example, they’ve achieved some accomplishment in one way or another but that doesn’t mean they’ve also solved everything that has an ‘e-commerce’ tag attached. Mobile banking is a segment Kenya has proved to excel more than anywhere in the world, everything has gone mobile in this great nation, but just how do we mitigate this development to the spirit of simplified yet efficient online shopping?

I’ve seen businesses introduce online shopping options here in Kenya, some with even online payment solutions and free drop ship services, but those I must credit are utility service providers such as Kenya Power, Nairobi water and sewerage company as well as selected supermarkets and pay TV providers that allow customers to pay using mobile phones. Clearly, they’ve realized just how much technology could be important and this shouldn’t go without mentioning the main platforms used which include; Mpesa, Airtel Money, Yu Cash and Orange Money.