Safaricom Launches Android TV Box For Internet Streaming

Safaricom has announced the launch of an Android* TV Box as part of a strategy to bring its Home Fibre service to more homes. The TV Box equips any TV with the capability to stream content from YouTube*, Netflix*, ShowMax*, Hulu*, Sling* and other Android TV Applications. It also enables customers to wirelessly project their smartphone and laptop screens to the TV through screen casting.

“Our Home Fibre service has been well received as it offers unlimited internet connectivity for the entire family in an affordable, monthly, package. The TV remains central to home entertainment and the lack of a feature to directly stream content from the internet has previously been a challenge for potential Safaricom Home Fibre customers. The Android TV Box now empowers customers to connect any TV to the internet opening up a world of endless entertainment options for the family,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom.

The Android TV Box is immediately available at Safaricom Shops and on Masoko for a KES. 6,999 offer with no monthly costs. The box is “plug and play” meaning that customers can easily connect it to their TVs and Home WiFi network without need of a technician. It can support up to 4K HD resolution providing viewers with super-clear video clarity.

Customers can use their voice to perform different functions on the TV Box such as searching for shows, movies or apps. In addition, it can be configured to connect to a Home Fibre WiFi network. It further supports playing back of recorded movies, TV shows and photos through USB flash disks and MicroSD Memory Cards.

Safaricom has recently seen an increase in the number of homes seeking its Home Fibre service. To meet this emerging demand, the company has recently invested in additional personnel and in expansion of its Home Fibre service to more areas.

The introduction of the Android TV Box will ease the transition of homes to online entertainment, helping them keep up with their favourite TV channels online. The Home Fibre service remains available to more on *400# with three distinct packages dubbed Bronze, Silver and Diamond tailored to support light, medium and heavy usage respectively.

*YouTube, Netflix, ShowMax, Hulu, Sling, and Android are property of their respective owners. Customers may need to make additional payments or subscriptions to access some content or services.

Technical Specifications – Ematic DV8235

Android TV OS (9.0)
Google and Netflix Certified
4K (Ultra HD)
SoC: Amlogic S905X: A quad core ARM Cortex A53
CPU: ARM Quad 64-bit Cortex-A53 up to 1.5GHz
GPU: Penta Core Mali-450 up to 750MHz +(DFS)
DRAM: DDR3 2GB
Flash: eMMC 8GB
Bluetooth 4.2
DRM - Playready, Widevine
Size(L*W*H) - 100mm*100mm*23.5mm
Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n
Interfaces / Ports : 2 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 X TF (MicroSD) card slot, 1 X HDMI 2.0a port, 1 x 10/100 Ethernet (RJ45) port