Telkom faced with its first competitor

Incumbent fixed line operator Telkom Kenya has finally had its monopoly position taken away, with the award of a licence to Bell-Western. The newcomer will operate in Garissa, Wajir and Mandera in the North Eastern Province, providing services under the brand name Warsan Communications Services. Bell-Western paid KES41 million (USD525,000) for the licence and has already invested around KES100 million into building out its networks. According to the regulator, The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), the operator is required to roll out 21,000 lines in its first five years of operation, and 636 payphones by 2007.