I guess I’ve been ‘offline’ all day, coz I didn’t know the news. I just realised my Safaricom Home Fibre connection speed reads 39Mbps. I was doing it for fun, and was confused as to what was going on. Normally it’ll read between 17Mbps and 20Mbps. Seeing 39Mbps each time I kept refreshing was weird. So I searched on Twitter to realise what was going on.
I pay for 20Mbps. Apparently, Safaricom has doubled internet speeds for everyone on their Home Fibre solution. The company is doing this to encourage more people to work from home, so as to help in reducing the spread of Coronavirus.
The virus which was declared a pandemic last week by the World Health Organisation could become a big issue in a country like Kenya, and so all the measures being taken by the government are welcome moves.
Safaricom just a day ago also waived transaction charges on M-Pesa for all person-to-person transactions below KES. 1000. This was done as part of the President’s directive to reduce cash transactions as the virus can stay on surfaces for hours. The Central Bank of Kenya has also recently announced that all transactions between mobile money wallets and bank accounts will be free to encourage cashless payments.
That Safaricom is doubling internet speeds is very important. People who have crucial work and require fast internet speeds can now enjoy working from home. But not only that. With schools closed, the kids can also enjoy fast internet for accessing school work, entertainment etc. Check your internet speeds. If you pay for 5Mbps, you now have 10Mbps. If you pay for 40Mbps… what the hell are you doing the new speeds…?
Stay at home people! Unless it’s impossible with your job description.
