A few weeks ago, it was rumoured that Telkom Kenya was in talks with Alphabet, or rather Loon LLC to come up with a contract that would see Loon’s balloons operate in the country to help connect everyone, even those in rural areas. Now, Telkom Kenya has announced a deal to pilot the technology.
Discussing the signing of a definitive agreement to pilot “an innovative new 4G/LTE access network service in Kenya”, Also Mareuse, Telkom Kenya’s CEO, said:
“Telkom is focused on bringing innovative products and solutions to the Kenyan market. With this association with Loon, we will be partnering with a pioneer in the use of high altitude balloons to provide LTE coverage across larger areas in Kenya. We will work very hard with Loon, to deliver the first commercial mobile service, as quickly as possible, using Loon’s balloon-powered Internet in Africa.”
Loon CEO, Alastair Westgarth, stated:
“We are extremely excited to partner with Telkom for our first engagement in Africa. Their innovative approach to serving their customers makes this collaboration an excellent fit. Loon’s mission is to connect people everywhere by inventing and integrating audacious technologies. We couldn’t be more pleased to start in Kenya.”
The two firms plan to work together closely and, over the coming months, prepare to deploy the service for a 2019 launch.