NAIROBI -- Kenya's state-owned telecom institutions have signed an agreement on the deployment of last-mile fiber optic cable connectivity across 19 unserved and underserved counties across the country.

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) and the Information and Communication Technology Authority (ICTA) said the technical cooperation agreement will see the CA, which is the industry regulator, support the deployment of fiber in the identified counties through the Universal Service Fund (USF).

"What we are doing today is phenomenal and will greatly transform the country in the years to come," CA Director General Ezra Chiloba said in a statement issued in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Tuesday.

The two institutions said the move is in line with the USF objective of facilitating the rollout of infrastructure and communications services in unserved and underserved areas.

According to the CA, the project supports the Government Digital Transformation Agenda on the deployment of 100,000 km of fiber, as part of efforts to enhance access to broadband across the country.

ICTA Chief Executive Officer Stanley Kamanguya hailed the partnership with the CA which will go a long way in the attainment of the digital transformation agenda.

The project shall be implemented within a maximum period of three years, and the latest move followed the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two institutions in December 2022.