Safaricom has answered Starlink satellite service with the launch of new home and business internet speeds, with a new 1000mbps platinum package for businesses at KSh 20,000 per month, TechMoran reports.
Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said in the statement, “The needs of our Enterprise customers are changing each day with the growing need to use technology. The enhanced fibre for business plans will allow our enterprise customers to have a worry-free experience with the provision of back up data.”
The firm now has a 15Mbps, 30 Mbps, 80Mbps, 500Mbps and the 1000mbps plan beating Starlink which hits between 150Mbps and 200Mbps at a peak upload speeds. Safaricom has a fibre footprint of more than 17, 000kms, serving 110, 000 new customers and the regions fibre optic cable market leader.
For Home fibre, Safaricom has also introduced a new ultra-fast 1000Mbps (Gigabit per second) Platinum plan, at KES 20,000 monthly, making Safaricom the first to deliver Giga speeds for home internet in a bid to meet the needs of very heavy users seeking ultra-fast speeds, for example gamers, content creators, virtual reality applications, among others.
Current customers will automatically be upgraded to the enhanced packages to enjoy the faster speeds.
| OLD SPEEDS | NEW SPEEDS | PRICE (KES) | |
| BRONZE | 10 Mbps | 15 Mbps | 2,999 |
| SILVER | 20 Mbps | 30 Mbps | 4,100 |
| GOLD | 40 Mbps | 80 Mbps | 6,299 |
| DIAMOND | 100 Mbps | 500 Mbps | 12,499 |
| PLATINUM | – | 1000Mbps | 20,000 |
Safaricom has launched the Family Share plan, an integrated solution that combines mobile voice, data, SMS, and home internet into a single plan. The combined plan can be shared with up to five members of your household. Customers also get up to 20% discount on the bronze plan compared to buying Fibre and voice/data plan separately, which is a plus in the current economic climate.
“We have enhanced our Home Internet speeds to cater to the increased demand and usage by offering reliable connectivity and enhanced value for our customers. The introduction of the new speeds offers capability of handling the most demanding online activities with ease, including high-definition streaming 4K/8K, gaming, large file transfers, cloud computing, and virtual reality. We have also introduced family share which offers a converged internet and mobile solution for home that can be shared with up to five loved ones. We are keen to deliver a great experience and value by innovating to meet and exceed customer needs,” Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom PLC.
In addition, Safaricom will carry out estate clinics, enhance capacity in congested areas, and avail competitive 4G and 5G propositions for homes in areas outside fibre coverage.
For Enterprise customers, Safaricom has revamped its Business Fibre plans, introducing new speeds of up to 1 Gbps for Medium and Large Enterprises in addition to increased speeds for Micro and Small Enterprises.
The Medium and Large Enterprises will enjoy competitive Dedicated Internet plans of up to 1Gbps that will give them the flexibility, reliability and uptime to meet their needs. These plans include features such 24/7 proactive monitoring, network visibility, burstability, backup options (over fibre, 5G or wireless connectivity), static IP support, embedded security and an impressive 99.99% uptime.
“The needs of our Enterprise customers are changing each day with the growing need to use technology. The enhanced fibre for business plans will allow our enterprise customers have a worry-free experience with the provision of back up data,” Mr. Ndegwa said.
The new business fibre plans include a 15mbps shared option that is ideal for micro business of up to five concurrent users/connected devices. It includes 5GB of mobile backup data to ensure uninterrupted operations, even during unexpected disruptions. In addition, customers on this plan will enjoy 400 mins voice plan monthly to enable seamless communication.
- The 50mbps shared plan that is aimed for small enterprises on their growth needs and will accommodate up to 15 concurrent users providing the necessary bandwidth for growing teams. It includes 15GB of mobile backup data to ensure uninterrupted operations during fibre cuts and scheduled maintenance. In addition, customers on this plan will enjoy Closed User group voice plan that will allow up to 3 users unlimited voice communications every month.
- For Growing enterprises who start to have multiple outlets, the 100Mbps shared plan supports up to 50 users/devices, offering robust performance to meet higher demands. It includes 15GB of mobile backup data to ensure uninterrupted operations during fibre cuts and scheduled maintenance. In addition, customers on this plan will also enjoy Closed User group voice plan that will allow up to 3 users unlimited voice communications every month.
The shared Businesses business plans of 15Mbps, 50Mbps and 100Mbps plans will also receive a generous one time offer of 30GB mobile data bundle for new customers and a free email & website domain for the first year. Business customers will access Business Fibre, 4G and 5G via either USSD *485#, Safaricom shops, website on business.safaricom.co.ke and via vast network of dealer outlets.
Safaricom increased its Fibre footprint by over 3,000 kilometers in the last financial year, putting its total coverage across the country at more than 17,000 kilometers. This saw over 110,000 new customers, consisting of homes and businesses, connect to the service during FY24, resulting in over 370,000 homes and 32,000 businesses now being connected to fast and reliable internet through Safaricom.