By Clifford Akumu
Community Internet Service Provider poa! internet, has announced plans to double its network coverage area by the end of April in an expansion mode aimed at increasing its network across the country.
The community ISP plans to launch its services into six new areas across Nairobi and Kiambu counties including Ndumberi, Githunguri, Dagoretti, Waithaka, Kinoo, Kikuyu and Racecourse.
The new networks will then be followed in June by the launch of six additional networks across new parts of Kenya, making the ISP five times their current size in just a few months.
“Poa is already the fastest growing community ISP in Kenya,” said Andy Halsall, CEO of poa! Internet, “but we are now really accelerating our expansion plans to increase our network reach to hundreds of thousands more people across Kenya”.
The expansion programme, he added, is set to rapidly move poa! up the rankings to become one of Kenya’s top tier internet companies.
In 2019, poa! counts already their customer numbers in the tens of thousands and is continuing to experience rapid growth. The latest report from the Communication Authority of Kenya found them in 4th place with 7.5% market share.
“Our entire business model is based on continually delivering low cost unlimited internet access to those areas that are otherwise poorly served.” said Andy. “We are expecting to maintain our current exponential growth throughout 2019, and confidently expect to enter the country’s top tier internet providers during this year”.
poa! offers their home broadband customers unlimited internet of speeds up to 4Mbps for just KES 1500 per month and has maintained the same price since launching the service in 2017; most other competitors have raised their prices over this time.
“This year will mark poa!’s biggest expansion ever as we work to end the digital divide across Kenya,” said Andy.
poa! currently provides street Wi-Fi, and Home & Business broadband in Kibera, Jamhuri, Kawangware, Kabiria, Kangemi, Kiambu, Ting’ang’a, and Kirigiti.
