Starlink Introduces Kit Rental Option in Kenya for $15 a Month

American satellite internet service provider Starlink has introduced a kit rental option in Kenya. If you’re in Kenya and find the cost of the Starlink internet kit high, there’s now an option to rent the hardware for $15.15 (KES 1,950) per month. Announced by Starlink, the satellite arm of billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX, this week, the rental option aims to make the service more accessible.

To get started, customers pay a one-time activation fee of Ksh.2,700. After that, they can choose between a 50GB plan for Ksh.1,300 per month or an unlimited package for Ksh.6,500. Both options offer internet speeds of up to 200 Mbps.

Starlink Kenya offers high-speed internet with download speeds ranging from 50 Mbps to 250 Mbps, with the potential for even higher speeds in the future. The service also boasts low latency, making it suitable for online gaming, video conferencing, and other applications that require fast response times.

Since its Kenyan launch in July 2023, Starlink’s user base has grown significantly, reflecting the widespread adoption of Elon Musk’s satellite internet service. Starlink, which competes with established providers like Skynet and NTvsat, has spurred local internet service providers (ISPs) to refine their offerings to retain customers.

Before Starlink’s entry, Kenya had only 405 satellite internet subscribers. This number surged to 1,354 within two months of Starlink’s launch and further climbed to over 4,808 by March 2024, according to data from Kenya’s Communications Authority (CA).

The presence of Starlink has also pushed existing ISPs to enhance their services. 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. Although Safaricom announced plans to launch a satellite service in 2023, it has yet to implement it. Jamii Telecoms, another major provider with the second-largest market share in fixed data subscriptions, has been expanding its services to the outskirts of Nairobi to compete in the home internet market.

Starlink’s popularity stems from its ability to serve customers dissatisfied with traditional ISPs’ limited offerings, particularly in rural areas. The company’s promise to provide broadband services beyond the reach of these established providers has made it a preferred choice for many.