A month after its VoD launch, Ericsson has announced that NuVu is now available to Kenyan telecom operators - although no agreement has yet been signed with any telco in the country.

NuVu was introduced to offer the user access to content from Hollywood, Nollywood and Bollywood via a mobile device and uses bandwidth optimisation for faster download speeds.

Kenya is the second country to receive the service after it was initially launched in Nigeria. Ericsson has confirmed that it will partner with Airtel Nigeria and go live February with the offer of over 3,000 titles to subscribers.

Ericsson's entry into Kenya follows research conducted via Consumer Lab focused on television viewership among the estimated 13 million consumers. It was estimated that Kenyans between the ages of 18 and 69 watch TV and video over the internet on a weekly basis.

According to the research, "80 percent of consumers who watch TV and video content over the internet at least weekly own smartphones and 60 percent of their viewing time is spent on mobile devices other than TVs."

It went on to say, "The smartphone is the most widely used device to connect to the internet - 84 percent use mobile broadband on their smartphones or tablets" making Kenya a good breeding ground for VoD on mobile.

The research also says that 83% of those interviewed were interested in having bundled TV/broadband services.

Robert Rudin, Country Manager, Ericsson Kenya said that, "The rise of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets as the viewing devices of choice is an opportunity for local operators, content providers and broadcasters alike. We are no doubt seeing a shift in the way people consume television and video content and the demand for flexibility and reliability will influence operator strategies."

This announcement comes when its competitor from Liquid Telecom, Ipidi targeting to launch in Kenya by year's end.