‪Starlink Temporarily Halts New Sign-Ups In Nairobi Due To Soaring Demand‬

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Since its entry into the local market in late July last year, Starlink has seen its subscriber base grow rapidly in a trend that has seen the multinational enter the top ten list of dominant internet service providers (ISPs) in the country.

As of June this year, official data shows that Starlink had captured a 0.5 percent share of the country’s internet market in its first full year of operation, amassing a subscriber base that totalled 8,063 users during the period.

The disclosures by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) pointed to a growing appetite among users for more personalised attention and quality services.

A key advantage Starlink has over its rivals in Kenya is its ability to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to remote and previously underserved areas, making it an ideal product for Kenya’s rural settings where traditional internet services are limited or unreliable.

Since its entry into Kenya, Starlink has seen its operational model undergo a raft of changes as part of its strategy to net a wider base of subscribers.

Initially, the cost of the service put it out of reach for many people after it emerged that  at least Sh100,000 was required for installation, much of which was the purchase price of the hardware kit at Sh89,000.

The cost of the kit has since been slashed to Sh45,500.

In June this year, the multinational introduced a 50 gigabyte (GB) monthly data package at a rate of Sh1,300, which is less than half the price of Airtel, which charges Sh3,000 for a similar package.

Safaricom, on the other hand, sells a 47GB data package that’s includes 2,500 talk minutes and 5,000 SMS for Sh5,000.

In August, Starlink introduced a rental plan for the installation hardware kit, where users pay a monthly rate of Sh1,950 as opposed to the one-off purchase of Sh45,500, on top of the Sh1,300 charge for the 50GB data plan or Sh6,500 monthly service fee for unlimited internet package.

The firm has also lined up plans to launch new satellites with capabilities to connect and deliver internet directly to subscribers’ mobile gadgets without the need for the hardware kit starting next year.