Zuku Slashes Kenya Internet Prices

thanks K for the Breakfast invite

It’s been a big year for Zuku of the Wananchi Group - they got new funding and the fibre cable reached in Kenya - they are a shareholder in TEAMS which is operational (but not yet launched) and have also bought capacity on Seacom. Their CEO said the 50 gigabytes they have on TEAMS will serve the anticipated needs of their Kenyan customers for the next decade and they have the option to increase capacity on either cable.

Reduced internet prices: This morning (2/12/09), Zuku announced reduced internet prices of ~50% as follows for wimax package:
• Prosurf (256Kbps) 3,000 Kshs 1,500 (~$20)
• Supersurf (512 Kbps) 6,000 Kshs 2,500 (~$33)
• Megasurf (1 Mbps) 10,000 Kshs 4,500 (~$60)
The one time installation cost has also gone down from 5,800 to Kshs 3,000 lowering the entry barrier for homes

For small corporates and SME’s they have new Zuku Biz which is unlimited corporate broadband packages priced as follows:
• 10Mbps will cost Kshs 10,000 per month (~$133)
• 15 Mbps will cost Kshs 15,000 per month (~$200)
• 20 Mbps will cost Kshs 20,000 per month (~$266)
For these installation costs are Kshs 3,000, and equipment and VAT are included in the pricing, with security services offered at an additional cost (firewall, e-mail security, spam management)

Reaching out to property developers Zuku is currenlty available in Nairobi Nakuru Mombasa and Nyeri are already wired, and in Nairobi 40 buildings are fully wired with another 100+ having cabling up to their doorstep. By reaching out developers and property owners, Zuku hopes to convert planned, new, and existing buildings to be internet-ready properties that meet the modern demands of some of their prospective tenants for high quality affordable internet. Zuku have a dedicated team to liaise with property owners on right of way, and installation issues for buildings. (Here's a list of Nairobi fibre- ready buildings)

New Nairobi Hotel: The Zuku breakfast took place at the new Ole Sereni Hotel on the edge of the Nairobi National Park, off Mombasa Road. The building previously housed the old US Embassy in Nairobi prior to its conversion to a 134 bed 5-star hotel. Like the adjacent Panari, Ole Sereni also lies close to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta Airport, shielding their guests, and transiting airline passengers, from some of Nairobi’s (now) notorious traffic jams. Though not yet officially open, and with some facilities yet to be completed, management says the hotel rooms are already fully occupied. Wildlife in the park can sometimes be observed in the early morning, and should become a regular occurrence once a waterhole is completed (inside the park fence) to be observed from the hotel’s dining room and bars which have a (relatively) pocket friendly Tusker price of 195 ($2.6)