Students are about to start enjoying better internet speeds following the partnership between Kenya Education Network (KENET) and Liquid Telecom Kenya. New connections have increased the total internet capacity distributed to KENET member institutions by Liquid Telecom from as low as 200 MB to 6,000 MB in 2016.
After the three-year connection programme, the partnership will have delivered high speed internet to more than 500,000 students and 20,000 members of staff across Kenya. Most of whom had challenges accessing the internet.
Research shows that internet access is key to delivering improved grades and academic performance. A study done in the Federal Urdu University in Pakistan revealed that students who spend more hours on the Internet were averaging B+ to A- grades, while those who used it less were averaging B TO B+. A fourth year student at Kenya Methodist University reported that faster internet speeds have transformed his learning. He continued to state that with faster internet speeds he was able to access research papers, E-books and other learning materials that have helped him save time and focus more on his studies. In the past he used to spend a lot of time waiting for pages to load, but today, with faster Wi-Fi, he can even study from his smartphone.
Ben Roberts, CEO Liquid Telecom Kenya had this to say, “Getting the country’s educational institutions and students onto high-speed Internet is an important step for Liquid Telecom Kenya, and aligns with our mission of achieving Internet access for every African and accelerating the benefits to society and the economy that come from high-quality Internet.”
At the moment Liquid Telecom provides 70 percent of KENET’s leased line internet capacity. It is also in the process of upgrading the distribution network capacity by installing new equipment on member sites and increasing reliability and quality of connections.