For many people using home Wi-Fi, internet access can fluctuate depending on their location in the house. The signal seems to weaken the further away you move from the router.
This shift is what Safaricom, in partnership with Huawei, is trying to achieve with a new connectivity solution called Fibre to the Room (FTTR).
FTTR is an innovative technology that uses optical fibre communication. It brings fibre into each room, delivering gigabit-level speeds, high bandwidth, and strong signal transmission.
Unlike traditional setups where the router covers the entire home from a single point, FTTR connects the entire home or premises via Wi-Fi extenders, eliminating dead zones and supporting multiple concurrent applications and devices.
This solution is designed around the reality that internet consumption is at an all-time high, particularly in homes.
For enthusiastic gamers like Michael Mwaniki, the consistency of using FTTR has transformed his experience.
“When I’m gaming with colleagues overseas, if I have a lot of latency or delays, I’ll find myself losing, so I care about the whole delay parameters. So now with Fibre to the Room, I’m able to enjoy those high bandwidth and speeds, and I’m able to make sure that my gaming is not tampered with,” Michael says.
The internet is now a fundamental need in many homes as more Kenyans work, study, run businesses and stream content.
Families access high-bandwidth entertainment from smart televisions, laptops, tablets, and video streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, and more.
“I like using the analogy of having a four-bedroom home, and you put only one light bulb in one room and expect the light from that one bulb to spread across all the rooms. This is why the fibre to the room solution delivers a seamless experience across each room,” says Nyagitari Bosire, the Fixed Data Products and Propositions Lead, Safaricom.
Beyond entertainment, Nyagitari believes FTTR is laying the foundation for smart home living, which is already part of everyday life for most Kenyans.
“Many consumer electronics today come with Wi-Fi and remote management capabilities, whether for lighting, curtains, or washing machines. The foundational capabilities that allow us to do all these things are a reliable, ultra-fast, low-latency connectivity at home, delivered by the all-powerful FTTR,” Nyagitari says.
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Also Read: Why Safaricom Thinks Local Cloud Infrastructure Can Beat AWS and Azure in Kenya