BRCK

A group of Kenyan engineers saw many attempts fail to provide access to internet and eventually decided to develop a local solution for Kenya. This is how the “BRCK” came into being. A small but powerful router that not only has the same name but also looks like a brick. It was developed in Kenya in 2013 and is now part of a series of hardware solutions that significantly improves internet access in Kenya. This includes, for example, the Moja network with over 40 free Wi-Fi hotspots in Nairobi, provided by the high-performance SupaBRCK microserver.

In addition, BRCK sets up digital classrooms: The “Kio Kit”, combines the independent internet connection from the BRCK router with 40 tablets that transform every classroom into a digital classroom. The developers have teamed up with Kenya’s Chase Bank for financing this approach.

Only 18% of households in Africa have internet access. By contrast, the figure in Europe is 84%. In Kenya alone, more than 35 million people live without access to internet. This is mainly due to the lack of infrastructure. There are hardly any broadband connections and routers break down quickly under the local conditions.