Starlink has announced the introduction of a cheaper Ksh.1,300 data package, sending jitters to local operators who have enjoyed the market for decades.
On its website, the Elon Musk-led Starlink said the Ksh.1,300 package will give Kenyans 50GB every month.
This is compared to Ksh.3,000 that Airtel charges every month. Safaricom on the other hand, charges Ksh.2,500 for 45GB package.
Starlink Hardware
The two local operators require customers to subscribe to the packages with just a registered sim card, in contrast to Starlink’s hardware.
Kenyans will, however, have to cough a one-time Ksh.45,000 to get hold of a Starlink hardware in order to enjoy a Ksh.1,300 monthly package.
Kenyans will use M-Pesa and Airtel money to subscribe to the Musk’s package.
“Affordable, high-speed internet with 50GB of data included for Ksh1,300/month (opt-in for additional data at Ksh20/GB),” reads a notification displayed on Starlink’s website.
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It comes against the backdrop of Kenyan government manipulating internet – especially during protests which seem attract global attention via online means.
On June 25, Kenyans came out in hundreds of thousands across the country to protest against President William Ruto’s tax measures.
Kenyans who rallied protesters on Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) and other social media means experienced both network data and wi-fi throttle, in what is believed to have been the state’s doing to control the online outburst.
Many Kenyans, for the first time, had to scramble through app stores to find Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that would serve their needs in the event of an internet shutdown.
This is despite the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) issuing a statement on Monday denying that there were plans to shut down the internet on the slated day of the protests.
But Was There Alternative Means?
Starlink has, for a longest since inception in Kenyan market, faced a slow uptake because of its expensive kit.
The hardware prices cost about Ksh.89,000. Between May and June 10, 2024 the Starlink kit was offered at Ksh.39,000.
The time frame might have been too short to garner any meaningful subscribers, and the company may have to re-evaluate offer time brackets.
In the wake of protests and Kenyan having interfered with internet, Starlink announced ‘Starlink Mini’ antennae that would cost substantially less than the pilot product.
Elon Musk replied to Kenyans on X that the kit would be available in the country later this year.
“Starlink Mini will be available later this year,” said Elon Musk in a reply on X.
