Case Study Snapshot: Safaricom Kenya 

Safaricom, Kenya’s leading telecommunications provider and a subsidiary of Vodacom and Vodafone Group, has long been at the forefront of innovation in East Africa. As part of its mission to provide superior broadband services to millions of subscribers, Safaricom turned to Friendly Technologies to implement a scalable, AI-driven device management solution across its growing fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and LTE networks.

To support this expansion and ensure a consistently high Quality of Experience (QoE) for its customers, Safaricom deployed Friendly’s Unified Device Management Platform (UDMP). This included key modules like the ACS engine, Wi-Fi Management Plus, and the Friendly Connect self-support mobile app. The solution provided Safaricom with real-time remote diagnostics, one-click issue resolution, and deep analytics into both device health and customer experience trends.

Thanks to Friendly’s TR-069/TR-369-compliant, clientless technology, Safaricom was able to manage hundreds of thousands of devices—on track to scale into the millions—without the need for embedded agents, reducing integration complexity and costs. With the Wi-Fi Management Plus module, call center agents now have access to a rich dashboard that allows them to visualize home network topology, assess signal strength per device, and resolve common issues instantly using AI-guided tools.

This digital transformation significantly lowered operational expenses by reducing average call handling time and decreasing technician dispatches. Most importantly, it increased customer satisfaction and reduced churn—critical in a highly competitive broadband market.

About Safaricom and Kenya’s Digital Landscape

Safaricom is widely known for its pioneering mobile money service, M-Pesa, and continues to lead Kenya’s digital ecosystem. In 2022, Safaricom expanded its offerings from mobile and WiMAX to residential broadband, driven by strong consumer demand for reliable, high-speed internet.

Kenya is one of Africa’s fastest-growing digital economies, with a youthful population, robust mobile penetration, and government-backed infrastructure projects like the National Broadband Strategy. These developments create both opportunities and challenges for ISPs like Safaricom, who must scale quickly while maintaining service quality.

Friendly Technologies, a global leader in device and IoT management, provided the ideal solution: carrier-grade, fully automated, and vendor-agnostic. This partnership underscores Friendly’s ability to deliver scalable solutions tailored to the needs of operators in emerging, high-growth markets.