Airtel completes network upgrade in Nairobi

What you need to know:

  • The company announced that phase two of the upgrade which involves improving data speed is in progress as it seeks to grow its share of the market where Safaricom maintains a stranglehold.

Bharti Airtel has announced the completion of phase one of its network upgrade in the Nairobi area.

Airtel said the exercise involved a change of hardware and expansion of radio network elements to enhance network signals and improve voice quality for users.

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), in its latest survey, said all mobile phone operators failed to meet the Quality of Service (QoS) targets set by the regulator.

"None of the four operators, Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom and Essar, met the service standards, according to the assessment of the performance of mobile networks in the country for the period 2013-2014," the authority said in the 2013-2014 survey.

The company announced that phase two of the upgrade, which involves improving data speeds, is in progress as it seeks to grow its share of the market where Safaricom maintains a stranglehold.

"This upgrade exercise, under which Nokia Networks deployed the latest wireless technologies, will enhance Airtel’s network capacity, and help deliver stronger and faster data speeds," the company said in a press statement.

“We are confident that the upgrade will increase our network capacity, improve voice quality and data speeds, helping us to continue enriching our customers’ (Internet) and voice experience across the country,” Airtel Kenya CEO Adil El Youssefi said.