Airtel invests Kshs 2.5 billion in 3G network

Airtel Kenya’s Managing Director, Mr. Adil El Youssefi - Upgrade of all sites in Mombasa and Kitale townships completed, with Nairobi’s in progress

Bharti Airtel has announced that it has invested Ksh. 2.5 billion to upgrade its network to enhance indoor coverage and 3G quality in Kenya.  

The upgrade of all sites in Mombasa and Kitale townships has been completed, with Nairobi’s already in progress.   

With the growing demand for data services, alongside the increasing proliferation of smartphones, the UMTS 900 Mhz spectrum upgrade project significantly enhances indoor coverage penetration and improves data quality for Airtel 3G network users.

Upgrade of all the sites in Mombasa and Kitale townships have been completed, with Nairobi’s in progress and due to be completed soon. Nokia Networks, one of the world’s leading specialists in mobile broadband is partnering with Airtel for this upgrade project.

“We have invested 2.5 billion shillings in this exercise and plan to continue investing significantly in the network to provide our customers with the best possible user experience across the country. The project will increase the reach and coverage of Airtel’s 3G network, enabling our customers take full advantage of what Airtel has to offer.” said Airtel Kenya’s Managing Director, Mr. Adil El Youssefi. 

Mr. Youssefi added “With the network upgrade, customers will be better able to take advantage of services such as the recently launched Airtel #UnlimiNet, free twitter on Airtel Internet, Internet.org- free internet powered by Airtel and Facebook, amongst a bouquet of other data services.”       

The network upgrade also makes Airtel Kenya’s network 4G LTE ready. In November last year, Airtel Africa launched 4G in Seychelles and Rwanda, making the two countries amongst the first in sub Saharan Africa to commercially deploy the 4G network technology.  In India, Bharti Airtel was the first operator to launch the 4G service, making it one of the first countries in the world to commercially deploy this cutting-edge technology.    

Airtel currently has the widest 3G footprint in Africa, with the 17 countries that Airtel operates in, connected to 3G services.

Most affordable Microsoft Lumia smartphones now available

Two new Microsoft Lumia smartphones, the Microsoft Lumia 435 and Microsoft Lumia 532, are now available in Kenya for Ksh. 10,200 and Ksh. 11,750 respectively. 

The Lumia 435 is the most affordable Lumia yet, with core smartphone features, the best Windows Phone experiences and access to the latest apps. The Lumia 435 opens up the Windows Phone experience to even more people, while Lumia 532 is a powerful quad core smartphone that builds on the success of the Lumia 530. 

With a premium layered design, glance screen, front facing camera and more memory, the Lumia 532 enables people to achieve their goals with the best of Microsoft’s experiences:

• Switch effortlessly between voice and video calls with built-in Skype integration and a front-facing camera.

• Read, review, edit and share on the go with the full suite of Microsoft Office on Windows Phone preinstalled.

•  Keep your photos, videos and Office documents safely backed up with 30 GB of free* OneDrive cloud storage.

•  Easily manage work and personal email on the fly, with Microsoft Outlook.

•  Capture photos quickly and easily with Lumia Camera and take, edit and share great selfies with the front-facing camera and Lumia Selfie app.

•  Have your home screen your way with Windows Phone 8.1 and the Lumia Denim update, complete with one-swipe Action Centre, Word Flow and Live Folders.

• Stay up-to-date with the best new features through regular Windows updates.

“The Microsoft Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 show our commitment to bring Windows smartphones to as many people as possible. Both devices are fantastic for those moving to a smartphone for the very first time”, notes Patrick Henchie, head of product, Microsoft Mobile Device Sales, Sub-Sahara Africa.

Tech specification summary:

Lumia 435 Dual SIM
Operating system	Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim
HERE location services	Free global HERE Maps and HERE Drive+ Free HERE Transit available in the Store
Display	4” WVGA LCD 800x480 pixels screen
Battery	1560 mAh battery
Processor	1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor
Main camera	2 MP FF, Lumia Camera
Front facing camera	VGA
Memory	8GB + 30GB free OneDrive, micro SD up to 128GB
Dimensions	118.1 x 64.7 x 11.7mm 134.1g

Lumia 532 Dual SIM
Operating system	Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim
HERE location services	Free global HERE Maps and HERE Drive+ Free HERE Transit available in the Store
Display	4” WVGA LCD 800x480 screen
Battery	1560 mAh battery
Processor	1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor
Main camera	5 MP FF, Lumia Camera
Front facing camera	VGA
Memory	8GB + 30GB free OneDrive, micro SD up to 128GB
Dimensions	118.9 x 65.5 x 11.6mm 136.3g

The Lumia 435 and Lumia 532 are now available in black and white countrywide across Kenya. For the first time people can now also purchase Lumia devices online via www.jumia.co.ke.

Lumia devices now available on Jumia

With the developing online shopping culture, and to make the Lumia device experience available to as wide an audience as possible, Microsoft Lumia smartphones are now available on Jumia, the leading online e-commerce platform in Africa.

“Statistics shared by Communication’s Authority of Kenya (CAK) indicate that the total number of data/internet subscriptions grew by close to six percent, and now stand at nearly 15 million. This is clear indicator that people in Kenya are using the internet more and more every day. The trend provides a great opportunity for Microsoft to partner with a leading online sales channel, Jumia, to offer people an alternative, convenient and safe option to purchase our devices,” notes Mariam Abdullahi, general manager, Microsoft Mobile Devices Sales, East Africa.

“We are looking forward to building a long-term and successful relationship with Microsoft. Kenyan consumers will appreciate getting great prices and knowing that the quality of their Lumia devices is guaranteed. Being the online launch pad for Microsoft in Kenya will enable both of our brands to reach new customers and provide them with a great customer experience,” says Parinaz Firozi, managing director, Jumia Kenya.

 Offers include;

Name + Model Number	Price(Kshs)
105  Single sim	1,949
108   Dual Sim	2,949
Nokia 107	2,449
Nokia 130 Dual Sim	2,449
225    Dual sim	5,199
Lumia 530	8,699
Lumia 630	14,099
Lumia 625	15,899
Lumia 730	23,199
Lumia 830	36,699
Lumia 930	49,999
Lumia  535	12,799
Lumia 435	8,699

To make and purchase, users can simply:

• Go to www.jumia.co.ke and identify the device of choice by searching for it or browse using the categories.

• Click the BUY NOW button. This action adds the device to your cart. Then proceed to checkout and follow the process.

• Confirm shipping location and input contact details.

• Delivery is made anywhere in Kenya or one has a choice to pick up the item for free at the company’s offices in Nairobi, Mombasa and Nakuru; and payments can be made via cash or mobile money transfer

• Devices above Ksh.5000 will be delivered for free within Nairobi while devices above Ksh. 8000 are delivered for free in all major cities.

All devices purchased from Jumia and all other authorized dealers in Kenya will have a 12 month warranty program, and owners can also take up insurance for their respective devices through Kenya Orient Insurance Limited.