STORY: Chinese tech firm to improve broadband for low-income households in Kenya   
SHOOTING TIME: April 22, 2024
DATELINE: April 23, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:52
LOCATION: Nairobi
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Connected Africa Summit 2024
2. SOUNDBITE(English): ADAM LANE, director of government affairs and partnerships at Huawei Kenya
3. various of Connected Africa Summit 2024

STORYLINE:

Chinese technology firm Huawei said on Monday that it is stepping up its rollout of broadband infrastructure to low-income households in Kenya to boost the country's digital economy.

Adam Lane, director of government affairs and partnerships at Huawei Kenya, said in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi that most high-end housing units have broadband connectivity options, including fiber optics, which is not the case for low-income housing.

"We have specific technologies for low-income households that make it easier to connect to broadband and use fewer devices, which helps to reduce costs and accelerate access to the internet," Lane said on the sidelines of the Connected Africa Summit 2024, which was held under the theme "Shaping the Future of a Connected Africa: Unlocking Growth Beyond Connectivity."

SOUNDBITE(English): ADAM LANE, Director of government affairs and partnerships at Huawei Kenya
"We have specific technologies as well to make it easier to connect fiber, for example, that need less equipment per area where you have multiple units, for example, and that helps reduce cost again and increase of speed of the time of delivery and installing equipment."

The five-day event brought together information and communications technology (ICT) ministers and regulators from 35 African countries, as well as European Union officials, to explore ways to reduce Africa's digital divide.

Lane said Huawei has developed technological solutions, such as underground and aerial fiber optics, that reduce the cost for low-income households to connect to broadband internet.

He added that broadband connectivity has numerous advantages because it expands coverage to education, e-commerce opportunities, and e-government services.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nairobi.
(XHTV)