Whereas streaming TV over-the-top (OTT) in Uganda is more of a dream than a reality, Kenyans are realizing this dream at a commendable rate than their half brothers to the west. Kenyan ISP Jamii Telecom has launched Faiba TV, an Android set-top box with the ability to stream TV. With their Fiber to home or office solutions, the Faiba set-top box costs a one time purchase fee of Ksh 10,000 (UGX 336,000) and would require a 5 Mbps internet connection to stream content which Jamii will provide at an additional fee of Ksh 5000 (UGX 168, 000). They also offer other monthly packages including; 10, 15 and 20 Mbps connection speeds at Ksh 10,000 (UGX 336,000) , Ksh 15, 000 (UGX 503,000 ) and Ksh 20,000 (UGX 671,00) respectively.
It comes bundled with Netflix and Cloud TV and the latter counting channels like Sky Sports, CNN, BBC, Bloomberg and a lot more which they provide for, at an additional fee. The Sky Sports channel addition is a kill given it offers the English Premier League.
Jamii Telecom will however charge you for their fiber to home internet connection while the respective content providers will determine their own fees for the services rendered. This means that the subscribers will accrue expenses from both the ISP, that is Jamii Telecom and the different content providers they subscribe to. Jamii Telecom further went on to affirm it’s commitment of working with the different content providers to make content tailored towards its subscribers and apps for the Faiba TV service.
Does this sound alarm bells to our Ugandan Telcos?
Uganda still lacks a last mile Fiber-to-Home solution that could offer such services due to the never ending politics involved and the poor infrastructure. However a recent report from Dignited indicate that a new ISP will soon launch the Fiber to Home solution that will rival the competition later this year. So, should carriers be scared? Sure, they need to and we shall explore more with a longform post soon.
Image Credit: Techcabal
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