Satellite internet firm Starlink on Thursday announced that a more affordable Mini variety is available in Kenya.
Starlink launched in Kenya in July 2023 and has increasingly offered competitively priced internet packages and better speed, but its hardware cost is what has kept off many potential buyers.
Starlink’s owner billionaire tech titan Elon Musk, in June said Starlink Mini “will be about half the standard terminal price and available later this year” in response to a query from a Kenyan on X.
The company has announced that the Starlink Mini kit will cost Sh27,000, with monthly packages beginning from Sh1,300.
Starlink Mini is more compact in size and portable compared to the Starlink Standard.
Mini covers up to 112 square meters and is recommended for basic internet applications in both fixed and portable use, while Standard covers up to 297 square metres, can endure extreme weather and environmental elements, and is ideal for streaming video calls, and gaming.
Starlink Mini can connect up to 128 devices, compared to Standard which supports up to 235 devices.
While Starlink Standard comes with a Gen 3 WiFi Router, Starlink Mini comes with integrated WiFi.
Starlink kit initially cost Sh74,000, but the price went down as they began being sold at retail chain stores like Carrefour and online marketplaces like Jumia.
Earlier this year, the company announced an offer to reduce the hardware costs to as low as Sh39,500 and later gave another deal, selling the kit from Sh29,000.
The satellite ISP introduced a kit rental option in Kenya which will see customers pay a one-time activation fee of Sh2,700.
One will then pay a monthly hardware rental fee of Sh1,950, while the service plans start at Sh1,300 a month for a 50 GB monthly data plan.
Customers still get the same internet speeds of up to 200Mbps.
In reaction, Safaricom recently wrote to the Kenyan government seeking re-evaluate its decision to grant licences to satellite internet providers.
The company, which dominates the local fixed broadband internet market (36.7%), wants the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to review its decision to grant independent licences to satellite service providers, warning of threats of illegal connections and what it calls harmful interference to mobile network operators (MNOs).
Kenya’s Communication Authority did not publicly respond to Safaricom’s request. President William Ruto later said Starlink’s entry into Kenya has created competition, causing the existing providers to give better services.
Safaricom announced new internet speeds and a new 1GB-per-second Platinum package priced at Sh20,000.
