Home internet users will now be able to access faster internet and less expensive downloading of large quantities of data, hence helping reduce costs considerably. AccessKenya Group today announced that it had increased home internet speeds and extended night hours to enable its customers beat traffic while working from home. The listed internet service provider has increased home internet bandwidth speeds from the previous 64kbpsto 128kbps during daytime. The new move follows a survey that shows that over 85 per cent of home users prefer to use the internet from 6.00 p.m. to 10.00 a.m. The same study shows that home internet will grow by 80 per cent by 2012.

At the same time, Access@Home users will be able to beat traffic by working from home and later go to the office with the extension of night time speeds from 6.00 p.m. - 6.00 a.m to 6.00 p.m. - 10.00 a.m.

Speaking about the latest move AccessKenya’s Group Managing Director,  Jonathan Somen said that the availability of internet access is a catalyst for innovation.

“Thousands of Kenyans who want to increase their income from the comfort of their homes can now rest easy as internet speeds have been increased for their benefit,” said Mr Somen.

“There is no doubt that home high-speed internet service is vital for Kenyans in every part of the country. Access to fast internet is crucial for developing the knowledge based economy, improving the ability of businesses and individuals to network and innovate in line with goals of Vision 2030”. He added.

And to encourage more people to install home based internet, AccessKenya has removed installation fees and have passed on the benefit to consumers, with a refundable deposit of Ks 10,000 (US$ 125) for clients on the service for one year.

The installation of new speed is a big boost to home based internet business that have become popular in many urban areas in Kenya following the arrival of the fibre optic network in the country, and will allow Kenyan homesteads to experience the benefits of higher internet speeds.

Somen said the new service by AcessKenya is the best in the market, and comes with a value added service that allows customers to log on securely into their preferred networks.

He said access to digital data was crucial in a modern global economy and Kenyans cannot afford to be left behind in the broadband revolution. High-speed Internet access has many benefits, mostly relating to the fast nature of the service. Browsing, downloading, uploading and other functions will become more convenient and enjoyable with high-speed Internet in the house. Users can open as many windows and tabs as they like without the browser freezing up. Uploading photos to websites will only take a few seconds, without having to think about resolution and compression issues. Streaming audio and video also is a benefit of high-speed internet, while a person can talk on the phone while using the internet at the same time, without needing a second telephone line.