Elon Musk’s Starlink has introduced a more affordable data plan in Kenya, aiming to challenge the dominance of local service providers Safaricom and Airtel. The new plan, designed to be budget-friendly for many Kenyans, promises high-quality internet connectivity.
Starlink has significantly reduced the cost of its kits by 34.07%, dropping the price from Ksh 45,500 to Ksh 29,999 until August 14, 2024. This reduction comes less than a year after Starlink began its services in Kenya in July 2023. Initially, the Starlink kits were priced at Ksh 89,000, posing a significant barrier to adoption. Earlier this year, a temporary offer reduced the kit price to Ksh 39,500, but the new price drop is set to make the service even more accessible.
In addition to the hardware discount, Starlink has introduced a new internet plan starting at Ksh 1,300 per month, which provides a 50GB data package. For users seeking higher speeds and unlimited data, a plan offering 100 Mbps is available for Ksh 6,500 per month.
The price cut on Starlink kits has positively impacted sales, and the company has begun selling these kits through local retail stores. According to recent data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), the number of satellite internet users in the country has surged dramatically since Starlink’s arrival. From just 405 users three months before Starlink’s launch, the number increased to 1,354 within two months and has more than tripled to over 4,808