If you live in Kenya and can’t afford to buy the Starlink internet kit, you can now rent the hardware for $15.15 (KES1,950) monthly. The company unveiled the rental options on Wednesday.
Customers interested in renting 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 200 Mbps.
In June 2024, Starlink introduced a monthly budget package of $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 grown by more than tenfold, which shows favourable adoption of Elon Musk-owned satellite internet service. Starlink competes with existing players like Skynet and NTvsat.
Three months before it launched in Kenya, the country had only 405 satellite internet subscribers. This number jumped to 1,354 within two months of Starlink’s arrival and further increased to over 4,808 by March 2024, according to data from Kenya’s Communications Authority (CA).
Starlink’s presence in Kenya has also compelled existing internet service providers (ISPs) to refine their offerings to retain or attract more customers.
Safaricom, which had over 522,000 fixed data subscriptions as of March 2024, started offering 4G and 5G routers to appeal to customers outside its fibre network coverage. The company announced plans for a satellite service in 2023 but has yet to launch it.
Jamii Telecoms, another provider with a fibre product and the second-largest market share in fixed data subscriptions, has been expanding its service to the outskirts of Nairobi to compete more aggressively in the home internet market.
Starlink’s popularity has been accelerated by its ability to serve customers dissatisfied with traditional ISPs’ limited offerings, particularly in rural areas. The company’s promise of providing broadband services beyond the reach of these established providers has made it a popular choice.
