If you live in Kenya and can’t afford the Starlink internet kit, you can now rent the hardware for $15.15 (KES 1,950) per month. The company unveiled the rental options on Wednesday.
Customers who want to rent the Starlink kit, which costs $350 (KES 45,000), will pay a one-time activation fee of $21. They can choose between a 50GB plan for $10 (KES 1,300) or an unlimited package for $50.50 (KES 6,500). Both plans offer speeds of up to 200Mbps.
In June 2024, Starlink introduced a monthly budget package worth $10 (KES 1,300), a move that forced local internet service providers (ISPs) to introduce promotions to retain customers.
Since its launch in Kenya in July 2023, the number of Starlink users has increased more than tenfold, indicating positive adoption of the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk. Starlink competes with existing players such as Skynet and NTvsat.
Three months before the launch in Kenya, there were only 405 satellite internet subscribers in the country. That number rose to 1,354 within two months of Starlink’s launch and continued to rise to over 4,808 by March 2024, according to data from the Kenya Communications Authority (CA).
Starlink’s presence in Kenya has also forced existing internet service providers (ISPs) to refine their offerings to retain or attract more customers.
Safaricom, which had 522,000 fixed-line data subscriptions as of March 2024, began offering 4G and 5G routers to target customers outside its fiber network. The company announced plans for a satellite service in 2023 but has not yet launched it.
Jamii Telecoms, another operator with a fibre optic product and the second largest market share in fixed-line data subscriptions, has expanded its service to the outskirts of Nairobi to compete more aggressively in the home internet market.
Starlink’s popularity has been accelerated by the company’s ability to serve customers dissatisfied with the limited offerings of traditional ISPs, especially in rural areas. The company’s promise to provide broadband services outside the reach of these established providers has made it a popular choice.
