Starlink doubles market share in Kenya, launches ground stationStarlink doubles market share in Kenya, launches ground station

Starlink, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, is rapidly expanding in Kenya and the company doubled its market share in the country in just three months.

The latest sector statistics report provided by Kenya's Communications Authority (CA), show that Starlink's fixed data subscriptions in Kenya grew from 0.5% in June 2024 to 1.1% by September 2024.

Additionally, SpaceX's satellite Internet service launched a new Point of Presence (PoP) in the country's capital city, Nairobi.

The growth positioned Musk's Internet service ahead of Liquid Intelligent Technologies, which maintained a consistent 1% market share in fixed data subscriptions during the same period.

Safaricom recorded the highest market share in fixed data subscriptions at 36.6%, followed by Jamii Telecommunications at 24.4% at the end of September last year. The CA data shows that Starlink had almost 16,800 fixed data subscriptions at the end of September 2024.

Satellite Internet subscriptions in the East African country increased by 104.7% during the quarter, primarily due to Starlink's campaign that introduced affordable rental options for satellite equipment.

Since its launch in Kenya in July 2023, Starlink has been challenging the dominance of traditional Internet providers such as Safaricom, Wananchi Group, and Jamii Telecommunications. The surge in demand has even compelled Starlink to halt new subscriptions in Nairobi and its surrounding areas due to network oversubscription. The Starlink map currently shows "sold out" in Nairobi and does not indicate when new accounts will be accepted again.

Related:Starlink beams into Madagascar

Starlink launches PoP in Nairobi

The company launched a new PoP in the country's capital city, Nairobi, the second ground station in Africa after Nigeria.

A PoP minimizes latency by enabling more direct communication between Starlink satellites and the ground, resulting in faster speeds and enhanced responsiveness.

Reduced latency improves the user experience, making Starlink more suitable for latency-sensitive gaming and video conferencing applications.

Since launching in Kenya, Starlink has challenging the dominance of traditional internet providers such as Safaricom, Wananchi Group, and Jamii Telecommunications. (Source: Starlink)

According to local media, the Nairobi PoP has slashed latency from 120 milliseconds to an impressive 26 milliseconds, offering a faster and more efficient online experience.

Starlink's swift expansion in Kenya highlights the increasing demand for reliable satellite Internet in underserved regions and the competitive pressure it is exerting on traditional Internet service providers (ISPs).

Starlink's African movements

The satellite Internet service has been thriving on the continent, so much so that earlier this year it launched services in Liberia.

Related:Starlink halts new sign-ups in Kenya

Its popularity on the continent was further highlighted when, in November 2024, it stopped accepting new orders for its residential kits in Nigeria, after hiking subscriptions prices in the country.

However, the price hike was not well received, prompting the company to put the price increase on hold while it addressed regulatory concerns.

Starlink is active in Botswana and Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Rwanda, Malawi and Mozambique, as well as Zambia, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Eswatini.