The Kenya Power and Lighting Company(KPLC) is looking to diversify its income by venturing into internet distribution through smart poles.

The company has rolled out a pilot project that involved the installation of special utility poles (smart poles) with the capability of delivering high-speed internet services.

It will be banking on the new venture to increase earnings as demand for broadband services increases nationwide.

KPLC MD Joseph Siror said there is a need to ensure efficient and environmentally friendly power production.

“The Smart Poles will provide an alternative way to deploy the last mile data networks using wireless technologies, thus providing a solution to telecom service providers to improve data coverage and capacity, as well as address the challenge of signal dropouts,” said Siror.

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To ensure that the entire country is connected to the internet, smart poles will be installed nationwide after an initial experiment in Nairobi.

The decision was made in response to rising internet usage, which has forced telecom service providers to develop last-mile data networks.

In order to secure the installation of a smart grid as it seeks to diversify its service portfolio, Kenya Power underlined that it will use cutting-edge and environmentally friendly solutions.

While aiming for smart poles, the corporation has teamed up with the Ministry of ICT to provide useful lessons to its workforce.