Safaricom, a leading mobile network operator in Kenya has secured a five year contract with the Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to provide security surveillance system for Nairobi and Mombasa, in a deal that is worth USD $167 million.
The leading MNO said they will build 'first-of-its-kind National Surveillance, Communication and Control System' for a secure communications and surveillance network. The security surveillance system will not run on Safaricom’s commercial network, rather on an independent 4G/ LTE security communications network for ensure it is not 'available' for hackers and intruders with standard 4G SIMs.
Safaricom said the management and control of the new system will, however, be the sole prerogative of the National Police Service (NPS). The solution will also include the installation of cameras in the two cities to provide real-time footage to the National Police Operations Centre. It is also reported that the Government will enjoy the use of the service at no cost for the first year of its operation and it will only start paying for the solution through a series of annual installments commencing in 2016 as part of the contract.
Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore
Over the next 18 months, Safaricom will build an intelligent solution that harnesses the power of technology to enable law enforcement officers effectively coordinate and deploy their resources in response to threats to national security and, indeed, emergency situations requiring the interplay of competencies from the National Police Service and various disaster response teams.
