Safaricom unveils 400G network

Huawei's Stone He and Safaricom's Thibaud Rerolle during the launch of 400G network in Barcelona.

Safaricom together with Huawei at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona unveiled 400G network which is the first in the world. 

The 400G standard was given the nod in December 2017 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, paving the way for its deployment by network equipment suppliers and operators.

At the event Safaricom highlighted the gains of 400G network, stating that it will boost the demand for quality videos and increase video consumption among subscribers.

Safaricom’s Chief Technology Officer Thibaud Rerolle said: “Mobile data usage on our network has been doubling year-on-year while our fibre network now reaches more than 220,000 homes and 17,000 businesses across more than ten towns. It was therefore prudent to invest in the latest network technology to ensure that we can support the demand from our customers for years to come.”

Safaricom said that this platform, which is supported by Hauwei, will enable them to carry internet traffic past 500 kilometres and achieve a speed of 400Gigabits per second.

In an interview with Standard Digital in Barcelona, Huawei Kenya CEO Stone He encouraged counties to adopt the 5G network.

'This is the future as 5G will not need the laying of fiber cables thus bringing the cost of internet significantly down` added Chen.