(Ecofin Agency) - The Kenyan telecom regulator will roll out 5G this year. The announcement was made by Matano Ndaro (pictured, right), the director of licensing, compliance, and standards at the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), last Feb. 21.

According to him, the regulator has developed a roadmap that outlines strategies to facilitate the project. CA will start authorizing the first 5G pilot projects this year, then release the required spectrum bands and finally issue commercial 5G licenses.

"We are now set to hold a validation workshop in the next one month to discuss the comments received. Once we adopt the input from the stakeholders, we shall establish a national 5G forum and allocate pilot frequencies," said Matano Ndaro.

The regulator is joining several telecom operators that have already begun the process of rolling out 5G last year. The market leader Safaricom launched 5G on March 26 in major cities across the country with support from Huawei and Nokia. The telco was targeting 250 sites by the end of 2021. Its rival Airtel is ready to move to ultra-high-speed and has already upgraded 600 sites in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Malindi, waiting to receive the spectrum. In addition, many phone manufacturers have launched their 5G-enabled ranges in the country, although the devices are currently too expensive for the average Kenyan.

The ultra-fast connectivity that the regulator is preparing will, among other things, enable operators to meet growing digital demand and new consumption patterns. These include smart homes and buildings, 3D video, streaming, cloud-based work and play, remote medical services, virtual reality, and augmented reality.

Isaac K. Kassouwi