President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday announced a partnership between Telkom Kenya and the Google Loon Project to help boost internet coverage across the country as Kenyans work from home over the coronavirus crisis.
While addressing the nation at State House, the President said the companies had agreed to utilize Google Loon to boost 4G coverage in Kenya during the stay home order.
“I am pleased to announce that the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), has signed an agreement with Google Loon that allows Loon Balloons to fly over Kenyan Airspace. These balloons, which will hover well above our commercial airspace, carry 4G base stations and have the capacity to provide wider signal coverage.
The piloting will begin when the balloons avail themselves into Kenyan airspace by the providers.
“This development will also enable Telkom Kenya Ltd (TKL) and Google Loon to start the commercial rollout of a 4G data network in the country as soon as the balloons are available on the Kenyan airspace. The two companies have been testing this service for the last two years,” the President stated.
He also the innovation will be particularly useful for medics across the country who are in the frontline in dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic.
The impending rollout will, however, not have cost implication on the government even as the surety of the date for the project stays unknown.
