Poa! Internet has been offering services to low-cost neighbourhoods in Kenyans towns, especially in Nairobi, for some time now. The product was highly popular in areas like Kawangware, where residents used it widely because of its low price. For instance, a customer could subscribe to a KES 50 package and enjoy Wi-Fi for an entire day, provided he or she is near a router.
Later, Poa! expanded the product to Ronga, where it gained notable traction. Last year, the company closed a Series C round, which netted it a cool KES 3.1 billion or $28 million for expansion. The drive was led by Africa50, alongside Novastar Ventures. The latter’s investment is a third in Poa!
During the drive, Poa! revealed it had plans to expand beyond the Kenyan market, perhaps to neighbouring East African nations. That, however, has not happened. Nonetheless, the company is now offering services in Nakuru, Kenya’s latest city, a move that will see it appeal to Kenyans who do not want to pay an arm and a leg for a Wi-Fi connection for their homes.
The announcement was made by Poa!’s People Director, Betty Magu, on LinkedIn.
“We are excited to be launching operations in Nakuru and are looking for an Operations Officer to help us manage our office,” said Betty in a post on the social media platform.
Poa! currently offers a single package with a speed of 4 Mbps, and it comes at a price of KES 1500 per month, making it the most budget-friendly option for Home Internet.
But, here’s the catch – customers have to shell out KES 7500 as installation charges, which also cover the cost of a router. So, the total setup cost goes up to KES 9000. Here’s where it gets interesting – both Zuku and Home Fibre, though their package fees are slightly higher, provide free routers and installation. So, in comparison, Poa!’s upfront costs are higher than those of Zuku and Home Fibre – but the two products are limited to Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and select parts of other Kenyan towns.
