Safaricom, in partnership with gas company M-Gas, has unveiled a solution that enables consumers to access- and pay for gas on a smart prepaid metered basis.

The solution, backed by the telco's narrow-band IOT network via 4G, will also enable consumers to purchase gas via their mobile phones.

The average cost of gas for households is between Kshs1 and Kshs70, according to the telco.

Safaricom stated: "Each M-Gas setup will include a gas cylinder and a 2-burner gas cooker which will be provided to customers at no upfront cost. The gas cylinder will come equipped with an innovative smart meter that will show how much gas a customer has paid for and how much they have remaining."

Volker Schultz, head of M-Gas, said: "M-Gas is proud to be working with Safaricom on this pioneering effort to bring affordable, convenient and clean cooking solutions to millions of low-income households in Kenya."

This is the second consumer/retail-focused innovation that Safaricom has launched on its IOT network, the first being a partnership with Kenya Breweries Limited.

Predictive analytics

A similar solution, PayGo Energy is already in the market and provides Kenyans with access to cost-effective cooking options via smart-metered cooking LPG cylinders.

Mark O'Keefe, Co-founder and VP of Product at PayGo Energy said that the advantage of this service is that data generated by customers, retailers and wholesalers can be used to make better operational decisions.

"This might include decisions on how many staff are needed or when to restock inventory. Second, predictive analytics will be created based on consumption and distribution data to predict when customers will run out of gas, and when retail locations require inventory," said O'Keefe.