Troubled Kenya Power is now in its advanced stage to start offering affordable internet in an attempt to diversify its revenue streams.
After a successful trial run, the power distribution company is gearing to roll out the service, first for corporates, before it can be extended to homes.
A report by Business Daily on Monday, March 7, indicated that corporate customers would be given a chance to purchase a power bundle inclusive of internet service from the utility firm.
The cost of the new package is set to be announced in a matter of weeks. Kenya Power noted that it would unveil affordable services to Kenyans in order to gain market share since several internet providers are already dominating the business.
“We will provide our corporate sector customers with a bundled service of electricity and internet,” Kenya Power stated.
“Kenya Power will leverage on our vast network to tap into the market...we will offer the corporates the option of using our internet for their primary use or redundancy," the company added.
The power distribution company is seeking to scale up its revenue since announcing an income of Ksh3 billion it made through its internet data market.
Kenyans’ fast-rising consumption of internet data saw the company launch its data operations in 2010 and has laid more than 4,000km for fibre optic cable.
The electric firm uses the cables to operate the national power grid and leases the excess capacity to telecommunications companies.
In December 2021, the company first floated the idea of venturing into the internet distribution business with the aim of reaching out to its eight million customers spread across the country.
“In the medium to long-term, the company is exploring the lit fibre business to increase the penetration of internet connectivity, particularly in the rural areas,” Kenya Power stated.
The firm, which is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), detailed that it already had structures in place that would ensure the success of the business, as it has been leasing fibre-optic cables to all the top Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country.
