BICS continues
to invest in Africa with launch of new point-of-presence in Kenya
Operators and
customers to benefit from outstanding voice and data services in the region
Brussels, Belgium, 10th
November 2016 –
BICS, a global wholesale carrier for voice, mobile data and capacity services,
has today announced the establishment of a new point-of-presence (PoP) in
Nairobi, Kenya, thereby extending the company’s reach in the African region.
BICS recognises the uptick in demand
and the potential for future growth of connectivity and telecoms infrastructure
in Africa. In 2014, BICS deployed a PoP in Johannesburg, which complemented the
company’s existing PoPs in Djibouti and Mauritius. The subsequent expansion
into Kenya both underscores the company’s dedication to service provision in
the region and also completes BICS’ comprehensive and mature infrastructure
backbone on the continent.
Previously, voice calls placed in
Africa have been rerouted via other international points-of-presence, impacting
the quality of services as they are being connected from one African country to
another. A call made from Kenya to Tanzania, for example, would normally be
routed through London and back to Tanzania, travelling thousands of kilometres
in the process.
Thanks to the new PoP in Kenya,
voice and roaming data traffic now stays in the region. By keeping traffic in
Africa local, customers will now benefit from an increase in the quality of
services – both for voice calls and data roaming – no latency and increased
Internet speeds. The PoP deployment will also minimise the cost for BICS’
operator customers by optimising connectivity within the region, thereby
improving the overall customer experience.
BICS is the only communications
provider offering the complete suite of regional traffic routing for
International Voice, Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and data roaming services in
Africa. All BICS’ PoP deployments are fully redundant and utilise
next-generation technology, allowing the company to evolve its infrastructure
as services and technology in the region develop.
“There has never been a greater
demand for bandwidth, as more customers across Africa are able to take
advantage of 4G. Data-intensive apps and services are being enjoyed by a
growing number of mobile users, who expect the jump in technology to correlate
with a jump in quality,” said Clémentine Fournier, Regional Vice President,
Africa at BICS.
“With around 70% of traffic
currently regional, the Kenya PoP deployment means we are now able to deliver
on expectations, providing the local connectivity needed to satisfy customer
demand for next-generation services. Our work in Africa has gone from strength
to strength, and our latest move demonstrates a commitment to providing quality
communications services in the region both now and in the future.”
- Press Release from Babel PR for BICS, Jen Atkinson, +44 0207 199 3972, jennifer@babelpr.com
