Triple-play bonanza

"Down one of the notorious potholed streets of Nairobi there is an 8 megabits per second fibre connection to a Kenyan home that I stayed in last week."

It is remarkable for a few reasons: the connection is the newer much faster fibre-optics; and it's for unlimited data, like broadband is around the world.

But the outstanding feature is the price: a mere $50 (about R435) a month for what the industry calls triple-play: an internet connection, a phone line and a TV service.

The service, called Zuku, is offered by Wananchi, one of the largest service providers in Kenya. "The cable TV is a bonus," another subscriber told me.

In a related development, Wananchi has begun offering a free wireless service around Nairobi called Wazi WiFi, hoping, like San Francisco, to kickstart entrepreneurial activity. read more: www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes