Pan-African telecommunications services provider Seacom has acquired one of the metro fibre networks belonging to Kenyan triple play service provider Hirani Telecom for an undisclosed sum.

Hirani Telecom is touted as the largest last-mile provider in the region. It owns two purpose-built, carrier-neutral national metro networks. The first is used to service its home users with internet and content, and this will be retained by Hirani, which will continue operations as usual.

According to a statement released to the media, the second network, which is being acquired by Seacom, will be dedicated solely to Seacom’s enterprise customers.

There will be no disruption or customer migration, as customers are already running on this network, Seacom stated.

The acquisition is said to be part of Seacom’s ongoing strategy in the region to grow its on-net capabilities, and “provide its enterprise customers with world-class connectivity.”

Steve Briggs, chief commercial officer at Seacom.

Steve Briggs, Seacom CSMO, expands on what the acquisition will mean for the region: “This is a first step towards ensuring we can provide end-to-end solutions for our customers across the region. We will be able to offer more competitive services, bring new, innovative solutions to market faster, and guarantee the highest quality of connectivity and service delivery.

“The acquisition of Hirani’s metro fibre network dramatically boosts Seacom’s operations and sets the stage for the expansion of our business services in the region. The world is rapidly changing, and customers need the service, quality, and availability that Seacom is known for providing.”

Oliver Fortuin, CEO, Seacom.

Seacom’s Group CEO, Oliver Fortuin, explains: “Seacom Kenya has been using Hirani’s metro network to provide last-mile services to our enterprise customers. As the only provider on this network, it was a natural progression for us to buy the network and cut out the middle man. This will give us a competitive advantage in the market and will enable us to offer our customers better services, and tailored solutions.”

“We already connect Kenya to the rest of the world, and now our Nairobi customers will be able to connect directly to the source. The expansion will also open up new markets for us.”