Richard Alden, chief executive officer of telecommunications services provider the Wananchi Group, welcomes competition within Kenya's telecommunications space saying it drives innovation, performance and economic growth.

The company, home to the entertainment and communication brand Zuku, operates a triple-play platform in which broadband, pay multi-channel television and voice telephony are offered through one cable.

According to the Jan-March 2015 Quarterly Sector Statistics Report released by the Communication Authority of Kenya, the Wananchi Group has 46.8% market share within the fixed internet sector.

Wananchi Group's Zuku Fibre cable network is currently available in Nairobi and Mombasa, and, according to the company, customers receive residential speeds of up to 50Mbps. The brand is said to be present in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia and has made investments of over Kshs 36 billion (approximately US$ 410 million).

The CA Report says Liquid Telecom recorded growth in the number of subscriptions and emerged second with a market share of 15.3%, while Telkom Kenya ranked third at 10.1% as its subscriptions increased marginally to 12,083.

Alden regards competition as very healthy and a primary driver of modern economic growth and a catalyst for that growth. "Fair trade and open competition in the market enables us to deliver a greater variety of competitive products to our customers around the markets where we conduct business and often results in lower prices and higher performance. When competition allows market forces to prevail, companies like ours offer the best products to a broader array of customers and consumers," he says.

The company has a long-term strategy in place to ensure it retains its position within fixed internet services, says Alden, and this involves investment in infrastructure to extend the reach of its network.

"We have invested in human capital and customer service delivery channels to provide quality solutions to our customers and initiated the Zuku Fiber to Schools project aimed at affording schools, especially public schools, with free access to the internet," he adds.

In February Alden spoke of the intention to leverage the US$130 million capital injection received in 2014 to expand and extend services into key regions.