Airtel Kenya, the second largest mobile operator in the nation in terms of subscribers, has revealed its intentions to invest a minimum of $150 million in the upcoming three years. This substantial investment is aimed at achieving an extensive expansion of its network coverage across the entire country. Ashish Malhotra, the CEO of the company, affirmed that these funds will be channeled towards the establishment of 649 new network sites nationwide. This initiative will elevate the current count from 3,200 to encompass a broad 89% coverage of the entire country.
In the recent past, Airtel successfully launched its commercial 5G services in 16 counties and 180 wards. This was accomplished by deploying over 370 5G sites. Additionally, the company has strategic plans to deploy an additional 120 5G sites within the next three months. In response to the initial uptake of these services, Malhotra conveyed his observations, stating, "The response has been favorable, although the usage of 5G-enabled devices in the country stands at nearly 1% of our total device count. This is largely due to the cost factor associated with these devices."