NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 5 - Small and Medium enterprises that operate from Small offices and Home offices (SoHos) are set to benefit from high capacity, affordable and reliable Internet service following the lunch of Butterfly Optic Xpress (BOX)  by Kenya Data Networks (KDN).

According to KDN Chief Executive Kai Wulff, the new device is set to provide high broadband capacity that will enable the transfer of large files, use of Voice over Internet (VoIP) services and greater access to web-based streaming through the KDN terrestrial fibre optic infrastructure.

Mr Wulff said BOX will address both cost and quality by offering guarantees on broadband connectivity at the lowest market price, a factor he added most SMEs consider when selecting a broadband solution.

“SMEs will now be able to save on their communication costs and still maintain high standards by the use of integrated communication solutions to increase their business reach and grow their market share,” he said.

BOX will be installed free of charge to SMEs and SoHos in all fibre-connected buildings across the country. Other benefits will include provision of a free Izzytalk number (VoIP), free Butterfly email addresses and free email domain hosting.

Mr Wulff said market growth forecasts in the enterprise sector have predicted an increased penetration of the consumer markets by SMEs sighting this as a good reason to venture into the emerging market.

KDN has already connected over 400 buildings in Nairobi and across the country with the terrestrial fibre-optic cable. BOX targets SMEs and SoHos in all these fibre-enabled buildings.

“The process has been simplified because SMEs will only have to confirm whether their building has a fibre connection from KDN and call KDN to be provided with BOX. Our resellers will visit the site immediately and carry out a survey after which BOX will be connected free of charge to their offices,” he said.

An SME that uses 1MB per month will now access 324 Gigabytes of data in a month, for which SMEs will be paying only one cent per MB.

The government recently announced it would begin the implementation of laws that will compel Internet service providers who collude to hike prices, to lower the costs and pass on the benefits of affordable broadband capacity from SEACOM and TEAMS submarine cables to the public.