From IDG News Service

The availability of fast, affordable Internet connectivity, rising awareness of options for tech businesses and an ambiguous regulatory framework have allowed Kenya’s online content business to blossom.

Video on demand seems to be a favorable choice for organizations with existing capital reserves or those backed by venture capitalists while applications providing African traditional knowledge through tablets and mobile phones are growing.

Safaricom, the largest mobile services provider in the country, and Liquid Telecom, one of the oldest and largest ISPs, have already launched online TV services, while Able Wireless, a VC-backed content provider, is seeking to wrestle the market from the two giants through affordable online streaming services.

“Able Wireless is providing Kenya’s first affordable online streaming services, allowing the users to take control of what they watch and when they watch, at a cost of $8 per month on the basic package,” said Kahenya Kamunyu, Able Wireless founder and CEO.

The online platform developed by Able comes with customer premises equipment known as a “black box” that connects to a nearby base station and allows the user to access a repository of online videos. The service uses infrastructure set up by other ISPs and a revenue-sharing model has been designed. In areas with no existing connectivity, Able Wireless is working with newer Wi-Fi providers to offer the service.

“We are already working with established ISPs in some of the areas while in others we are working with smaller wireless providers to serve more people; the service is working well and we are sure it will get better,” added Kamunyu.

On its part, Safaricom is buoyed by growing revenue from SMS and mobile data and is hoping that online TV content will push more people to consume more data.

Written by Rebecca Wanjiku | Read more at IDG News Service