Finally, Orange Telkom Kenya finds a partner in its 3G services rollout ambition to be implemented within the year. ZTE is a Chinese based technology corporation with establishments in many countries especially Africa. Currently, the only service provider in the country on a 3G platform is Safaricom; however other major players are expected to upgrade their services in the course of the year.

Orange Telkom Kenya should however worry about the timing with a key player “Safaricom” planning an upgrade to 4G technology; an advanced technology to its current 3G platform. The deal which is valued worth Sh4 billion will enable Orange Telkom to introduce more Internet services powered by the enormous speeds associated with 3G.

Installation of the 3G infrastructure is expected to be completed by May followed by the official launch of 3G services. 3G technology offers a high quality wireless broadband internet browsing and downloading speed. The company’s chief executive officer Mr Mickael Ghossein said that orange broadband will offer internet speeds of up to 21 megabytes per second once on the 3G platform.

The partnership will enable proper training of staff on the network management and the initial maintenance. Currently, Orange Telkom offers the cheapest data bundle subscription rates compared with other providers mainly Safaricom. This development is also aimed at meeting customer demand needs for internet services on its network.
Installation of 3G by ZTE will enable seamless upgrades from 2G to 3G and finally to 4G, without expensive network overlays and infrastructural replacements. The compny’s subscription rate is also expected to rise once the new infrastructure is in place. 3G will enhance customer experience by providing reliable browsing and downloading speeds.

The initial rollout will target densely populated areas such as Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa.