Satellite broadband tipped to drive socio-economic growth in rural Kenya

BY FARHAD KHAN

Kenya is among the top countries in Africa and the world in internet rankings and metrics. In June, Kenya was ranked as having the world’s 14^th-fastest mobile internet speed by content delivery network Akamai.

In addition, Kenya leads Africa in internet penetration with well over 88% of the population accessing the internet through their phones, thanks to cheaper data plans and the ubiquitous use of mobile money platforms like Mpesa.

In 2013, Kenya launched its “National Broadband Strategy” to extend fiber optic cables across the country. Broadband penetration now covers as much as 34% of the country, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya.

However, amidst all these milestones and accolades, a gap still exists that needs to be bridged if the country is to truly harness the power of the internet; providing rural Kenya with reliable broadband connectivity.

The telecommunications infrastructure in Kenya still faces significant challenges to connect everyone with quality broadband especially in the rural areas.

Indeed, rural Kenya presents a difficult environment for deployment of telecommunication infrastructure with energy constraints, poverty, sparse populations, topological and geographical limitations among other factors.

Kenya’s rural population was reported at 74.38 % in 2015 by the World Bank, a significant portion and driver of the country’s economy. Connecting this key category of Kenyans is therefore of utmost importance for socio-economic growth and development.

One thing holds the key; increasing the adoption of satellite broadband connectivity to complement the ongoing government efforts to roll out the National Optic Fiber Broadband Infrastructure (NOFBI) aimed at ensuring connectivity in all the 47 counties of Kenya.

YahClick’s satellite broadband solution quickly meets the high-demand for connectivity in these unserved and under-served rural areas. Since satellite broadband is not subject to cost and physical limitations of cable-based systems, it is best placed to level the playing ground for individuals and businesses in rural Kenya to achieve connectivity regardless of their location.

For instance, access to quality medical care for a local farmer hailing from a small village in Kiambu County involved commuting to the main general hospital and sacrificing time that he could have spent on the farm to earn his living.

Today, he is able to walk to the nearest healthcare facility that is connected by YahClick, and receive consultation and medicines within a matter of minutes. Until very recently, this scenario seemed like a utopian vision but it is becoming possible. Through satellite broadband and implementation of new software, local healthcare facilities can share critical information, which helps them in managing patient inquiries, and handling simpler cases in the clinics.

Better connectivity has helped healthcare professionals in Kiambu County provide similar services in the rural facilities as the ones being provided in bigger hospitals almost halving the time most patients use to travel to far away locations for a consultation with a qualified physician.

If we take another sector, like education, the same dynamics are in place. When it comes to learning and knowledge sharing, broadband is also opening up avenues.  A student in Kajiado today, with a simple click of a button, is able to access vast amounts of information. Information that is essential for them to learn, grow and pursue their ambitions.

Satellite broadband has the potential to jumpstart the process of giving rural communities access to basic services, and revolutionizing the way they educate their children, access markets for their goods and maintain good health.

Research from the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) suggests that for every 10 per cent increase in broadband connectivity, the GDP of developing nations rises by 1.38 per cent. With such a direct correlation between investment in broadband connectivity and the growth in economic activity, connecting rural Kenya is central to the achievement of the projected economic growth.