Safaricom remote network access brings calls, internet, and digital services to underserved communities across Kenya.
For residents of many remote areas in Kenya, staying connected can be a daily challenge. Some have to walk many kilometers seeking network signals, and some are still in the days when we used to climb hills or trees to make a simple phone call. These struggles are a major challenge to essential services like healthcare, administrative processes and even security information.
These areas often have low populations, hence telecommunication companies are not quick to invest in them due to limits in returns. Without intentional intervention, residents remain partially disconected from communication and digital services that the rest of us in other parts of the country take forgranted.
Such is the gap that the Universal Service Fund addresses, by collecting contributions from government funds, donor grants and mobile operators to support the expansion of networks in underserved areas. Since 2013, the fund has enabled installation of infrastructure in areas previously unreachable.
“The impact of USF is that it has made people in remote areas access services they were not accessing before. Those services are very critical for their communication, for security purposes and for administration purposes,” says Julius Lenaseiyan, from the Central and Eastern Regional Office of the Communications Authority of Kenya.
Safaricom, one of the telecoms most dedicated to transforming lives, is in parnership with Universal Service Fund to enhance mobile coverage to remote areas in counties like Marsabit, Baringo, Turkana and West Pokot. Residents in these areas now have quick access to calls, internet and digital services which was difficult before. These services strengthen communication, security, and administrative access for local communities.
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Network expansion also improves livelihoods. For instance, farmers access market updates on phone, traders and suppliers communicate easily for business, and families connect over long distances. For education, students access learning and government services online. For ever telecommunication tower installed in a remote area, daily life is transformed. Focusing on underserved areas improves inclusivity, closing the gap between urban and remote areas.
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