Network and internet solutions company Liquid Telecom has launched a free high speed Wi-Fi network in Nakuru County, Kenya.

The 1 Gbps high capacity Wi-Fi will be offered for free to residents in a 10 kilometre radius from the central business district.

Liquid Telecom Kenya is launching the service to over 1.6 million people in the country.

"Liquid Telecom has put in place outdoor Wi-Fi nodes, which are designed to carry huge capacities with the ability to withstand harsh climatic conditions to guarantee maximum and uninterrupted speeds while surfing. With the built-in meshing technology incorporated in the network systems, users in Nakuru will not experience service interruptions when moving from one point to another within the areas covered in the town," explained Ben Roberts, Liquid Telecom Kenya chief executive officer.

The company says it has put up 51 nodes in strategic venues such as Afraha stadium, bus terminals, and also educational institutions such as Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT Nakuru campus) and Mount Kenya University.

The project is estimated to have cost the company $400,000.

The free Wi-Fi project is new in Kenya and puts Nakuru on a list of urban areas in Africa with free internet access.

Other areas are Kigali in Rwanda and Tshwane in South Africa. Liquid has also set its eyes on other regions in Kenya, including Naivasha and Gilgil, to replicate this project.