Make 5G devices cheaper, Chiloba tells mobile phone makers

Communications Authority of Kenya Director-General Ezra Chiloba has challenged mobile phone manufacturers to make cheaper devices as the country prepares to roll out fifth-generation (5G) technology.

In a speech read on his behalf by Licensing, Compliance and Standards Matano Ndaro at the launch of Vivo’s latest handset, the V23 5G-enabled smartphone, in the Kenya market, Mr Chiloba wondered why all the 5G-enabled phones were so expensive.

“I want to challenge you here to come up with cheaper 5G-enabled devices because not everyone can afford what you are selling in the market at the moment,” he said.

“Indeed, the launch of the smartphone is timely as it comes at a time when our Mobile Network Operators (MNO) are gearing for the rollout of the 5G technology in the country, with Safaricom PLC having set the pace.”

He said that the availability of 5G-enabled devices is key to accessing 5G services and that’s why today’s event is a critical milestone in that journey.

Vivo joined other mobile phone manufacturers in launching its V23 5G smartphone in Kenya. The handset will retail for Sh60,000.

There are few 5G phones currently in the Kenyan market and the available ones are expensive. For instance, the Oppo Reno 6 5G sells for Sh60,000 while the Huawei Mate 30 Pro retails at about Sh70,000 and the Huawei P40 costs above Sh90,000.

Safaricom last year launched the 5G network, making Kenya the second country in Africa to roll out the technology, according to GSMA, an organisation that represents mobile network operators worldwide.

In September, the leading telco said it would increase its fifth-generation sites to 200 by the end of the year and commercialise the super-fast services in 2022.

The deployment of 5G, which offers extremely fast download and upload speeds, presents a myriad of opportunities for all sectors of Kenya’s economy.

The use cases for this technology are immense, including supporting Kenya to become an active participant in the unfolding fourth industrial revolution. 

The technology will come in handy for the millions of Kenyan youth who are hungry for innovation through an increase in virtual networks.

Safaricom chief executive Peter Ndegwa said the company would use up to 200 sites for testing the upgraded network as it seeks to capitalise on burgeoning mobile internet use.

The 5G service is a central part of its attempts to further expand its data business to counter slower growth in voice calls revenue.

“This is a trial phase and we intend to have 150 to 200 sites coming from the first use case of homes, especially in places where we do not have fibre,” Mr Ndegwa said.

“We will be able to test on such areas and help customers in terms of speed and reliability and from next year we can commercialise a bit faster but I will come to that at the appropriate time.”

The expansion will equip more individuals and enterprises with 5G for use at work, home and when on the move. The technology can support up to one million connected devices per square kilometre compared with 4G, which can only support up to 100,000 connected devices in a similar area.

This makes it suitable for providing super-fast internet speeds in high-density areas and for linking thousands of connected devices such as in manufacturing and supply chain management for businesses.

Chipmaker Qualcomm has indicated that 5G could achieve browsing and download speeds about 10 to 20 times faster than those offered by 4G.