Safaricom - 2021 Sustainable Business Report

10 SAFARICOM SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS REPORT 2021 //// STANDING TOGETHER: GOING BEYOND / OUR MATERIAL TOPICS / OUR STAKEHOLDERS / KPI SUMMARY SUPPORT TO OUR CUSTOMERS SUPPORT TO OUR CUSTOMERS We worked with regulators on the allocation of additional spectrum to meet the spike in demand for internet services as most of our customers transitioned to working from home. We upgraded 1 045 sites to 4G to meet the significant increase in demand for mobile data, driven by our customers continuing to work from home and needing to stay in touch during the pandemic. We waived the transaction fees for amounts below KSh 1 000 up to 31 December 2020 — 1.7 billion zero- rated transactions valued at KSh 4.38 trillion. We worked with the Central Bank of Kenya to double mobile money transaction and wallet limits in order to facilitate digital payments and reduce usage of cash to better manage the spread of COVID-19. Cash usage was also reduced by enabling M-PESA payments for public service vehicles (matatus) and ferry services. We doubled fibre speeds , thereby enabling customers to work from home more efficiently. We launched Bonga for Good , an initiative that allows customers to use Bonga Points to pay for essential goods and services or to donate their Bonga Points to those in need. This is now a permanent service with customers being able to redeem their points at any Buy Goods till merchant countrywide. Monthly redemptions stand at 100 million redemptions on Bonga Popote and a total of KSh 473 million worth of inputs have been redeemed under Bonga for Good. We partnered with Longhorn, Viusasa Elimu, Shupavu-Eneza and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to help learners access education from home . There were 15 million downloads of the 100MB affordable bundle. We also partnered with UNESCO and Eneza’s Shupavu 291 solution to give students access to mentors and information on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects via SMS.