Elon Musk’s Starlink Finally Available In Kenya
The satellite internet giant has entered Kenya.
Starlink, a broadband satellite internet provider by SpaceX, has arrived in Kenya. On Tuesday, the 18th of July, Starlink and Elon Musk tweeted the news.
Launched in May 2019, Starlink is supported by thousands of satellites that orbit closer to Earth. Consequently, they have lower latency of around 25 ms, making them faster than other satellite internet.
In Africa, Kenya is the sixth country with Starlink, following Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique, Mauritius, and Sierra Leone, which were connected in Q1 and Q2 of 2023.
The satellite internet provider has partnered with Karibu Connect, a company that will resell its internet in Kenya.
Who Will Benefit From Starlink In Kenya
Kenya has % internet coverage of 30%, with most remote areas sidelined. Starlink’s entrance into the Kenyan market will open up remote and rural areas without internet.
The leading Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are available mostly in urban areas, with little to no remote access. Unlike dial-up, fiber, cable, and other internet forms, satellite can reach the most remote areas.
These areas will open up untapped potential to improve communication and growth of different economic sectors like; ICT, Energy, AgriBusiness, etc.
Starlink Global Roaming
Starlink also supports global roaming at an extra fee. In the tweet, Elon Musk mentioned this feature. Roaming gives subscribers an advantage when traveling as they can access Starlink internet from any part of the world.
How Much Does It Cost?
Kenyans will have to part away with KES 98,600 ($696) to be connected to Starlink. Here’s how it is broken down;
Hardware — KES 89,000
Shipping & Handling — KES 3,100
Monthly subscription — KES 6,500
Total — KES 98,600
Speed
According to the Starlink website, download speeds range between 25Mbps and 220Mbps, while upload speeds between 5Mbps and 25Mbps, rivaling 5G internet currently available in Kenya.
However, these speeds vary widely based on location.
How Starlink Affects the Internet Service Provider Landscape
Safaricom, Kenya’s number one telco and Internet Service Provider, has announced plans to offer satellite internet. This announcement, amid the entry of Starlink, provides good competition and a range of options for users.
At this time, Kenya has 411 satellite internet subscribers, likely to increase with Starlink's availability.
Conclusion
So, what do you think about Starlink?
Are you willing to switch from your current ISP to Starlink?
Will it provide competition to Safaricom and other ISPs in Kenya? Comment down below.
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