Foreign tech firm to set base in Nairobi

Global wireless technology company, Qualcomm, announced on Thursday that Nairobi will be its regional business centre within the Sub-Saharan region.

Qualcomm, whose offices span 75 countries, made the decision in response to the rapidly growing mobile market in Africa, which has been termed as the second largest mobile market in the world after Asia.

“Qualcomm’s new Nairobi office allows us to maintain close proximity to the people, governments and important industry events that are driving the regional telecommunications industry forward,” said Mr Billy Owino, Qualcomm’s director of business development in East Africa, during announcement of the company’s new offices at a media briefing in Nairobi.

Exponential growth is expected in the mobile data traffic in Africa, with the population of users online expected to reach 138 million by 2015.

According to Kenyan research firm Pyramid, “revenue from mobile data services will account for almost half of all telecommunications revenue by 2016, as more Kenyans embrace mobile money and mobile Internet.”

Kenya alone, makes up over half of Africa’s mobile money users, 56 per cent share of the market. According to Mr Owino, Qualcomm’s presence in Nairobi is part of its long-term commitment to Sub-Saharan Africa, and will “continue to invest in strategic research and development.