Hardware and connectivity startup BRCK has announced that it has acquired local public WiFi provider Surf and parent company EveryLayer. The Kenyan startup made the announcement at Africa Tech Summit Kigali as it seeks to become one of the largest public WiFi networks in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Surf has been accelerating and expanding high-speed access across emerging markets since 2015 and is perfectly positioned to catalyse BRCK’s status as the most prolific provider of public WiFi in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
With this acquisition, the Kenyan startup will extend its reach to over 2,500 Hotspots across Kenya and Rwanda, serving a community of 500,000 users a month.
According to BRCK, the acquisition marks an important moment in its journey towards meeting Africa’s unique needs and expanding on the continent’s connectivity infrastructure. It believes that the acquisition will go a long way towards supporting Africa’s technological evolution.
“The team at Surf has done a remarkable job of building public fixed WiFi in Kenya, and we’re happy to have that come under the BRCK umbrella in our mission to create affordable access to the internet at greater scale in Africa,” said BRCK CEO, Erik Hersman.
In addition to its Moja network BRCK will manage and operate Surf’s hotspots going forward. During the transition process, BRCK will maintain continuity of service for Surf’s current network offering and commit to transparent communication with customers on any network changes.
Have anything to add to this story? Leave us a comment in the comments section below. In the meantime, follow or subscribe to our newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any future updates on African Startups.
Featured Image Credits: BRCK
