poa! Internet in partnership with Liquid Telecom Kenya has launched a new Internet model in Kibera slums, drawing thousands of subscribers in just a few months.
The telco companies have delivered using solar powered hotspots and has provided provided free Internet access to Kibera schools, health centres, churches, mosques and youth centres.
poa! is using Liquid Telecom Kenya’s fibre infrastructure, known as a local loop, from a connection near Kibera, to supply the internet to the residents.
Established in August last year in Kenya, poa! Internet is now employing 25 staff, mostly young people, the majority of them from Kibera, selling Internet for as little as Sh10 for 25MB.
“We are selling internet to individuals in Kibera at affordable prices, and have also provided free Internet to more than eight health centres, 20 schools, and 20 cyber cafes’ in the area” said Andy Halsall, CEO poa! Internet.
The partnership is making a swift and visible difference, he said. “Internet has made life much better, with more youths engaging in businesses, such as cyber cafes, and shops where they are selling bundles. This has had a positive impact on these individuals and put great potential in their hands”, he said.
The cost of accessing the internet using poa! ranges from as low as Sh10 for 25 MB to Sh3,000 for 20 GB, in bundles that do not expire.
“We have ensured that anybody in Kibera wanting to use high speed, high quality Internet can do so for just a few bob” He said.
Halsall raised seed funding in the UK to launch the business, on the basis that East Africa still holds huge potential for internet consumption. The company now aims to connect millions of subscribers in the region.
“The launch and rapid rise of poa! Internet in Kibera represents a fulfillment of our own purpose and vision too, we invested heavily in the new Nairobi metro network so that it can provide up to 20 times more internet data across the city with high quality and reliability,” said Ben Roberts, CEO of Liquid Telecom Kenya.
