Local broadband provider, Liquid Telecom, has reduced its prices for home fibre internet connection by 60 per cent in a bid to increase access. The firm has reduced the cost of fibre to home internet with prices starting at Rwf28,000 for a month of unlimited connectivity for 5Mbps. The packages previously retailed at Rwf50,000 monthly. The internet provider also scrapped fibre to home installations costs which previously stood at about Rwf50,000. Officials from Liquid Telecom say that the development seeks to make the internet more affordability as well as promote reliable connectivity. At the moment, 16 neighbourhoods in Kigali are ready for home to fiber installations with plans to cover all neighbourhoods in the city master plan by the end of the year. To have the fibre to home installation, one only needs to pay a monthly subscription fee, starting from Rwf28,000 with installations being made within about two days of application, according to Alexis Kabeja, the Chief Executive of Liquid Telecom Rwanda. Fibre to home connections will among other things bridge the digital divide, ensure affordability especially among young people. Unlike other types of connection, Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) use is not limited to one or two gadgets in a household and can serve an entire household include data intensive services such as live streaming, CCTV camera relaying, Internet of Things among others. The firm has internet speeds of up to 150Mbps. To further ensure uptake of fibre to home internet connectivity, the firm has been working with local property developers and contractors to pre-install optic fibre cables without charge. Sam Nkusi the Chairman of Liquid Telecom East Africa said that with the new services, the firm is also seeking to re-define broadband access to go beyond the popular data bundle model which is popular in the local market. The services are expected to be available across the country as the firm has optic fibre cable laid in multiple districts across the country. “Rwanda is one of the fastest growing African countries in ICT with more of our citizens than ever now using the internet. Liquid Telecom is playing a key role in driving internet penetration and bridging the digital divide by offering faster, reliable and affordable broadband internet connectivity,” Nkusi said. The firm also provides broadband to some retailers of internet broadband on ‘wholesale terms’ which allows Liquid Telecom to have flexibility in terms of retail prices. In a bid to allow members of the public to sample the firm’s internet speed, Liquid Telecom has been offering free connectivity in a number of public spaces with talks at an advanced stage to add Kigali Arena to the list. Liquid Telecom Rwanda, a subsidiary of African telecommunications giant, Liquid Telecom, with presence across 13 countries in Africa which built 70,000KM of Optic Fibre cable from Cape Town to Cairo. The firm also operates three data centres on the African Continent.
