Telkom Kenya has signed an agreement with Loon LLC, a subsidiary of US tech firm Alphabet to pilot a new high-speed Internet access network in Kenya. The new network service will be Loon’s first commercial service in Africa. The Loon service is an innovative approach to providing extended 4G/LTE coverage to rural and suburban areas with lower population densities, using high altitude balloons operating 20km (60,000 feet) above sea level, well above air traffic, wildlife, and weather events. The balloons act as cell towers that transmit service directly to the user’s phone. The service supports data speeds that are up to 10…
Author: NBM CORRESPONDENT
OPPO Mobile has entered into a partnership with Lipa Later, a credit offering company to allow customers to purchase OPPO devices by instalment as it aims to increase the sales and stump foot in the Kenyan market. The payment plan will allow customers to enjoy a 3.5% interest rate on purchase of OPPO F7, a drop from the initial 4%. According to Jesse Wu, brand manager, OPPO Kenya, the new arrangement will have a great impact on OPPO F7 and all OPPO devices sales that currently is performing well in the market because of the quality and uniqueness of the device. “Since…
To meet the demand for genuine spares for Mercedes Benz cars and trucks, Volkswagen cars and light commercial vehicles and Hyundai trucks DT Dobie has opened an easily accessible Auto Shop fronting Lusaka Road in the Nairobi industrial area. “We have invested in this additional outlet in response to requests from customers for an easy to reach source of replacement parts which is open from Monday through to Saturday. On weekdays the Auto Shop operates from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and the opening hours on Saturday are from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.,” said Kennedy Munyao, DT Dobie parts…
Bismart, a Kenyan start-up insurance aggregator, has entered into an agreement with GreenTec Capital, a German long term impact investor, to enable the start up upscale its digital and online platforms so as to connect customers to insurance and investment solutions that are available in Africa. According to Eunice Maina, CEO Bismart Insurance, Bismart has a vision to help customers by giving them a friendly, transparent and convenient way of accessing the insurance and investment services. “By using emerging technologies to address the issues of financing and transparency in insurance, Bismart aims to empower the customer to be financially independent,…
By David Wanjala Over the years, Kenya has enjoyed the title ‘king of East Africa’, which has helped the country grow as it attracts more and more investors compared to its neighbours. The title saw Kenya chosen over Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia whenever international institutions and multinational organizations looked to host important conferences in the region. However, recently this has changed as the economies of Rwanda and Ethiopia have sustained an upward trend placing them among the fastest growing economies in the whole of Africa. As a result, this has seen Ethiopia overtake Kenya and become the new king…
BY MOHAMED AHMED The level of cyber crime in Kenya at the moment is such that businesses are grounding to a halt. Cases of those who have lost money online simply because sensitive information was leaked are many and diverse. As always the case, whenever you go online you are never sure whether you’ve engaged in a secure manner or not. You could just be checking your account balance or paying bills only to fall prey to the sly hands of online criminals. That’s why the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crimes Act (2018) that was recently signed into law by…
When a Canadian woman was hit by a train and badly injured in northern Italy, rescue services quickly went to her aid on the tracks. But as they treated the victim a young man captured the scene from the station platform in a selfie that has provoked widespread anger. He was himself pictured by a news photographer who complained, “we have completely lost a sense of ethics”. Police caught the young selfie-taker and forced him to delete his picture. The young Canadian woman caught up in the accident late last month was taken to hospital and had a leg amputated.…
The US Supreme Court has ruled in favour of a baker in Colorado who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. The Colorado state court had found that baker Jack Phillips’ decision to turn away David Mullins and Charlie Craig in 2012 was unlawful discrimination. But the Supreme Court ruled on Monday in a 7-2 vote that that decision had violated Mr Phillips’ rights. The conservative Christian cited his religious beliefs in refusing service. Gay rights groups feared a ruling against the couple could set a precedent for treating gay marriages differently from heterosexual unions. But the…
BY DAVID ONJILI As Kiarie Mwangi, a volunteer trying to reform prisoners using soccer around the country, and I drove into the compound of GK Kamiti Maximum Prison, I had mixed emotions. I trained myself not to expect anything but allow the experience be my guide. I blocked my mind from any pre-conceived bias. Suddenly, reality dawned. Kiarie instructed me to leave my cell phone, wallet and any money that was on me in the car and only carry my national identification card. Still, I was not sure of what to expect. All I knew was the realization that I…
There are shows that you watch with friends and family, chat about around the water cooler, post about on social media, and even host viewing parties for. Then, there are those you view behind closed doors, or with one hand shielding your phone when you’re on the train. You may smile in acknowledgement when your guilty pleasure series comes up in conversation, but your cool demeanor belies the fact that you’ve seen every episode. Twice. But you can’t hide your guilty pleasures from Amazon. The streaming-video service knows what you watch on your phone when no one’s looking. Amazon analyzed…