Starlink, a satellite internet company founded by tech billionaire, Elon Musk, has announced plans to launch in Kenya by the second quarter of this year.
This entry into the East African country is an expansion into the African market and part of Starlink’s mission to provide internet services to remote areas of the world.
Now, Kenyans can currently pre-order and pay a refundable amount of Sh12,260 ($99). According to information obtained from the website, the company intends to provide service in Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, and Nakuru, among other towns throughout the country, beginning with the three months ending in June.
However, Starlink’s expansion moves into Kenya will be faced with fierce competition from some companies in the industry. Safaricom, the leading internet service provider in Kenya, has spent billion over the past five years on a fixed-data network to connect homes because of the growing demand for streaming services like Netflix. The venture into Kenya is coming at a time when the demand for high internet speed for streaming, video calls, and online gaming is on the rise because of digitization and expensive data charges. With Starlink’s launch in Kenya, customers are sure of reliable and affordable internet service that will bridge the digital divide in the country.
Starlink, an offshoot of Mr Musk’s space technology firm SpaceX, delivers internet via satellite.
“Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency service is made possible via the world’s largest constellation of highly advanced satellites operating in a low orbit around the Earth,” the company says on its website.
Starlink’s entry in Kenya follows internet service’s venture in Nigeria in June last year. Nigerians had to pay $600 to acquire the setup hardware.