Mawingu, the internet service provider that initially served customers in the Mt. Kenya region, has announced an expansion to 25 counties following securing Series B funding from a new investor.
Currently, Mawingu serves 15 counties in Kenya. The investment from InfraCo Africa will see add 10 more counties to its turf, and the overall goal is to connect a quarter of a million Kenyans over the next five years.
InfraCo Africa’s $6 million USD commitment, delivered through its dedicated investment arm, will support Mawingu to roll out infrastructure across Kenya that will increase access to affordable internet connectivity to underserved households and businesses.
InfraCo Africa was joined by Mawingu’s institutional investors E3 Capital and Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank FMO, contributing $1.5 million each as part of this fundraiser.
At the moment, Mawingu serves 7500 customers. The new round of funding will expand its footing further and will focus on rural markets.
Mawingu’s efforts have previously been noticed by Microsoft Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith, who acknowledged Mawingu’s contribution to the wider ambition of bringing internet access to 100 million Africans by targeting the underserved markets in Kenya.
One year ago, rival Poa! Internet raised KES 3.1 billion to expand its services to more low-income areas in Kenya, and to beyond local borders.
The fixed data market share of Mawingu in Kenya is 1.5%, which places it in the 6th position in the market. The market is dominated by Safaricom with 35.6% share, followed by Zuku at 25.5%, JTL at 22.1%, Poa! at 10.8% and Liquid Telecom with 1.7%.
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Mawingu’s Chief Executive Officer, Farouk Ramji said: “Mawingu’s aim is not to simply drop an Internet cable at someone’s house. We seek to help our customers access new opportunities for work, education, entertainment, and social connections through the power of the internet. Our company’s mission is driven by this very purpose: Open Opportunities. Mawingu is positioning itself as a provider of quality Internet at affordable rates, with the capacity and desire to connect frontier regions that have never had access to meaningful internet.”
