July 6, 2006 Nairobi -- Telkom Kenya yesterday unveiled a 500-km, long haul Mombasa-to-Nairobi fiber-optic link, as the state-owned company readies for stiff competition following the expiry of its monopoly.

Speaking during the launch in Nairobi, Telkom Kenya managing director Sammy Kirui also announced the introduction of a new broadband wireless platform, dubbed Kenstream Wireless, to complement the already existing Kenstream services.

Kirui said the launch of the two significant products was part of the bigger picture in the firm's quest to improve its offering by upgrading and building on the existing infrastructure.

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said the government is focused on creating a modern and efficient telecommunications infrastructure that will position Kenya as a hub of industrial, commercial, and financial services in the region.

"We want to ensure the expansion of the Internet bandwidth, tele-density as well as implement a rural telecommunications program that will cover all districts in the country in order to bring communication services closer to the people," added Kibaki.

The launch of the long-distance optic cable, which has a capacity of STM-16 operating at 2.5 Gbits/sec, is the first such investment by Telkom Kenya in more than 20 years.