Technology firm rocks market with new last-mile internet connectivity solution

Intellimedia chairman Alex Chesosi. [File, Standard]

An American firm is looking to revolutionise the local connectivity market with a new technology that enables businesses and institutions to deploy private cellular networks.

Intellimedia Networks, through Intellimedia Africa, which is incorporated in Kenya, is keen on emerging industrial parks as well as underserved regions, the company is positioning itself as a game-changer, especially in areas where traditional telecom providers have been slow to establish infrastructure due to limiting costs but also economic considerations.

Intellimedia Africa Chairman Alex Chesosi noted that Kenyan, and generally African, economies would explode with access to affordable connectivity not just in urban areas but also in rural areas where innovation has been held back by low levels of connectivity as well as high costs of internet.

The firm offers a last-mile connectivity solution to take the internet to areas where telecommunication firms may deem economically unviable.

Intellimedia has teamed up with Pente Networks, a global leader in private cellular network solutions, and now seeks to disrupt the local technology landscape.

The collaboration enables firms and institutions to install their networks without needing multiple vendors or expensive equipment. “Telecommunication companies may not be able to set up in certain areas such as rural locations because the high cost of setting up cellular networks outweighs the potential revenue due to sparse populations,” said Mr Chesosi. 

“This is where we step in, filling the gap with our cost-effective, secure and scalable connectivity solutions. Once you have connectivity, all other pieces of the puzzle will naturally fall into place.”

The US-headquartered firm with offices in California and Virginia ventured into Kenya early last year and is using the country as its launchpad to the rest of Africa. It also has operations in India where it employs over 300 people, mostly technology experts, a model that it said it would replicate in Africa.

He said Intellimedia’s technology offers a practical, low-cost alternative to traditional cellular networks. 

“With our private cellular networks, we can set up connectivity in a rural school and seamlessly scale it up to serve an entire university,” said Chesosi, who worked as an aviator for nearly two decades with the national carrier Kenya Airways before he went into entrepreneurship.

“I am optimistic about Kenya because if you look at the country’s agenda, it has put technology at the forefront. President William Ruto has over and over said he wants to bridge the digital divide, close the technological gap and remove what has been called the tech curse, where people looked at technology as the preserve of the affluent.”

“Kenya is taking the lead by democratising access to technology, and it’s quickly becoming a Pan-African agenda.” The country is implementing the Digital Superhighway programme that is aimed at expanding connectivity in the country, through initiatives such as the 100,000km fibre infrastructure project designed to provide the critical backbone for the country’s ICT sector.

Following its announcement that it was getting into the Kenyan market, Prime Cabinet Musalia Mudavadi noted that the firm fits well into the country’s agenda of increasing connectivity in the country and growing the ICT and creative economy sectors.

“Intellimedia Networks’ solutions fit our commitment to elevate the lives of Kenyans by creating opportunities for Kenyans to acquire new skills rapidly. Intellimedia will be warmly welcomed as a key player in a new wave of American businesses forming a base in Kenya, and as a solid partner and an enabler of high growth via emerging immersive technologies,” said Mr Mudavadi at the time.

Manufacturing hubs

Intellimedia’s focus is not limited to rural areas. The company plans to roll out its connectivity solutions to various underserved sectors, including special economic zones, emerging smart cities, hospitals, manufacturing hubs, and educational institutions. This wide-reaching approach aims to close the gap in regions where traditional methods of connectivity have proven both expensive and logistically challenging.

“Achieving reliable connectivity in Africa has long been an uphill battle. Setting up cellular towers has a host of other requirements that drive the cost including land, permits, importing steel and extensive civil works. And this might be too costly in some instances,” said Chesosi, who believes in the holistic empowerment of people aside from his quest to deepen internet access in the country, he has over time committed resources to philanthropy including working with different children’s homes and as a sports enthusiast is ever looking for opportunities where young people can be engaged through sports such as golf and basketball.

He added that fibre optic solutions, while effective, also require heavy investments and a lot of civil works, which too might not be tenable in many areas and call for an easy-to-deploy last-mile solution. “With our technology, you can achieve connectivity in a matter of hours using a simple box equipped with everything you need,” he said.