StarTimes Media has announced a partnership with Bboxx solar, a company that provides solar solutions. Through the partnership, off-grid customers across Kenya will be able to access digital television services.
Bboxx solar provides pay-as-you go home solutions for over 500,000 Kenyans through payment plans. They will now bundle a package called “Mdosi TV’ which offers either a 24-inch or a 32-inch TV with StarTimes hardware.
Bboxx customers will place a deposit of KES 5,499 for the 50 Watts Mdosi 24 inch TV option or KES 7,999 for the 80 Watts Mdosi 32 inch TV option. The package customers get will be inclusive of a solar appliance, four bulbs, a rechargeable torch, USB charger and their StarTimes bouquet of choice which is paid for differently either daily, weekly or monthly.
NOTE: The official release from StarTimes only mentions Bboxx’s deposit amounts for the TVs. There’s no mention of the instalments customers need to pay and for how long. So, it isn’t clear if user end up paying crazy amounts for basic TVs as we’ve seen with M-Kopa’s whole outfit.
Bboxx Kenya says they recently secured a KES 1.6 billion facility which they’ll use to acquire a new inventory over the next two years. The company says this will include 89,600 solar home systems and essential appliances such as fridges and phones which are expected to serve 470,000 people, 80% of whom are based in rural areas and majority of whom currently use torches and non-traditional fuel, such as wood and kerosene, as their main source of lighting.
What they said:
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Bboxx solar Managing Director Mr. Jeff Vanden Berghe noted that the two brands will work closely together to offer unparalleled support towards ensuring a smooth customer experience as the energy and media company partner towards transforming and unlocking the potential of Kenyans through access to clean energy, information and entertainment.
“We will leverage on our individual strengths towards our goal of improving the quality of life for rural and urban dwellers. We are currently present in 34 counties and growing, we see lots of potential in working with off-grid households where through this new partnership, we will not only provide clean energy solutions, but also access to infotainment,” noted Mr. Vanden.
On his part, StarTimes Chief Executive Office Mr. Hanson Wang said, “This is a strategic partnership that will enable off-grid customers access our rich content genre, we are confident that moving forward we will not only grow our subscriber base but also play a significant role towards driving access to powerful social benefits that is achieved through access to information and entertainment by the households.”
