Safaricom will start selling its digital set-top boxes next month as the telecoms operator eyes a piece of the broadcasting sector.

Safaricom has said that it had already received approval for the model of its gadget from the Communications Authority of Kenya and was about to ship in the first batch.

Safaricom Corporate Affairs Director Nzioka Waita said the decoders were expected within the next three weeks, with distribution scheduled to start immediately. They will be sold through the company’s existing distribution network.

“We have gotten the approval for the set-top box and a vendor’s licence, which now allows us to start selling the devices in Kenya. We are still in talks with the regulator for the award of a broadcasting licence. Hopefully it will come through soon,” Mr Waita said.

By entering the broadcasting sector, Safaricom is targeting a piece of the Kenyan TV space, but with a greater focus on offering Internet connectivity to every home with a television set.

The set-top box will operate as a hotspot, which members of a household can use to connect to the web.

Officials from the CA said they were reviewing the application by Safaricom with a view to concluding the matter soon.