Denis Opudo
Liquid Telecom is tasked with the duty of supplying reliable internet access to homes all over Kigali Rwanda. Liquid Telecom is a regional IP, voice, and data service provider company. The company targets to connect not less than 20,000 households with broadband internet in Zimbabwe. By now it has managed to supply more than half the number. Internet connection cables and points are all over places across the city. This is under the initiative called Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH).
According to the Chief Technical Officer at Liquid Telecom, Stanley Magede, rolling out of the broadband network across Kigali will come to an end before the end of the next financial year. The initiative has so far connected 11,000 out of the 20,000 targeted households. Magede says that they are through with Rukiri I and II in Ramera. They are now moving to Kimironko and the neighborhood.
The FTTH plans to connect the town with high-speed internet. They also plan to do the same to another urban town across the country at a project that will cost multi-million shillings. The project will power both consumers and businesses. Those living in areas where the initiative have gone through can now get broadband Internet. Most frequent users of Netflix a platform that streams movies use the Liquid broadband internet. The platform targets to have 2,000 users. Dioscore Shikama who uses Liquid Telecom FTT uses a monthly subscription package of Rwf70, 000. He says that fibre is good as compared to another internet. He adds that the package that he subscribed to is in a position to serve at least 5 people. The company has managed to connect Kibagabaga, Gikondo Estate, Gishushu, Vision City, Kimihurura, Kiyovu, Rebero, Gisozi, Rugando, Nyarutarama, Kagugu, and Kacyiru.
According to Louise-Antoine Muhire, founder of Mergims startup, fibre connection has the ability to revolutionize how business is carried out in Kigali. He adds that fibre will help stabilize services like payment of utility bills on e-commerce platforms and selling airtime. His startup helps people in the diaspora to settle electricity and water bills, tuition and airtime payment among others. Liquid Telecom has introduced cloud-based services to help increase the demand more so on household users. It collaborated with Microsoft Corporation to start giving cloud-based services to individuals and enterprises.
