Telkom Kenya Partners with Loon LLC to Launch Loon's First Commercial Service in Africa :: Kenya

The telecommunications operator, Telkom and Loon, subsidiary of Alphabet, announced Thursday the signing of a definitive agreement to pilot a new innovative 4G / LTE access network service in Kenya. This will be Loon's first commercial service in Africa.

"This partnership demonstrates the Council's commitment to guide and oversee the transformation of Telkom into a company renowned for its innovation in the supply of products and services. our willingness to deploy pioneering technologies because of their potential impact on our customers, "said Eddy Njoroge, Chairman of Telkom Kenya Board.

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Telkom Kenya's CEO, Aldo Mareuse, said that Telkom was focusing on introducing innovative products to the Kenyan market.

The CEO added that the partnership would help them provide LTE coverage in larger areas of the country.

"We will work very hard with Loon, to provide the first commercial mobile service, as quickly as possible, using Loon's Internet balloon in Africa," said CEO Mareuse, adding that it will further improve the Telkom network. .

Loon service is an innovative approach to extend 4G / LTE coverage to rural and suburban areas with lower population density, using high altitude balloons at 20 km above sea level, well above air traffic, weather events.

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Balloons act as floating cell towers, transmitting the service of a provider – in this case, the Telkom service – directly to the subscriber's existing 4G / LTE phone below. Loon's equipment is powered by embedded solar panels. This animation explains how Loon works.

"We are very excited to be working with Telkom on our first engagement in Africa, and their innovative approach to serving their customers makes this collaboration a great complement to Loon's mission of connecting people everywhere by inventing and integrating bold technologies, we could not be happier to start in Kenya, "said Alastair Westgarth, general manager of Loon.

The pilot will take place in the general area of ​​central Kenya, some of which have been difficult to serve because of mountainous and inaccessible terrain. The exact coverage areas will be determined in the coming months and subject to the required regulatory approvals.

Telkom and Loon will also work closely in the coming months to prepare for the roll-out of the service, scheduled for 2019.

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