Starlink halts new sign-ups in Kenya

SpaceX's satellite Internet service, Starlink, has halted new sign-ups in some Kenyan counties due to high demand.

South African-born billionaire Elon Musk announced on X that Starlink is actively working to increase Internet capacity in these congested city centers.

However, the company has temporarily suspended new sign-ups in Nairobi and surrounding areas due to a network capacity overload.

The satellite Internet operator announced that the suspension is due to network capacity being overwhelmed by increased demand.

"Nairobi and neighboring areas are currently at network capacity. This means that too many users are trying to access the Starlink service within Nairobi, and there isn't enough bandwidth to support additional residential or roaming customers now," the company said.

The suspension affects users in Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Narok, Murang'a and Nakuru, regions experiencing significant growth in Starlink subscriptions since its launch in Kenya in July 2023.  

Increasing thirst for Starlink in Africa

Since entering the African continent in Nigeria in 2023, Starlink has increased its presence quickly.

However, it is no surprise that the Internet provider has had to halt new sign-ups in some Kenyan cities, as Starlink has had significant success in the East African country.

Related:Starlink's entry into Zimbabwe lowers Internet tariffs

In June 2024, Kenya's telecoms regulator, Communication Authority of Kenya, ranked Starlink as the tenth largest Internet service provider with about 8,000 subscribers, and that figure is growing.

That growth led to Starlink launching a rental option in August 2024, allowing Kenyans to rent its kits for 1,950 Kenyan Shillings (US$15) per month.

Kenya is not the only African country where Starlink is thriving: Since its launch in September 2024 in Zimbabwe, Starlink's equipment has also sold out in the country's capital of Harare, as well as other surrounding areas.

Starlink's equipment has sold out in Harare, Zimbabwe due to high demand. (Source: Timothy Sithole)

Since its launch in Zimbabwe, the company has made a significant mark on the pricing of Internet services in the Southern African nation.

In Zimbabwe, Starlink's user terminals retail from US$200 for the mini kit which offers unlimited Internet and speeds of over 100 Mbit/s for US$30 per month.

With this pricing, Starlink has become the cheapest Internet provider in the country.

Starlink facing pitfalls in some African countries

Even though Starlink is doing well in some African countries, other nations are proving difficult to access for Elon Musk's company.

Just last month, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) restricted the company's ability to raise prices without prior approval – that after Starlink announced a price increase in Nigeria due to soaring inflation.

Related:Starlink to expand Internet access in Niger

Moreover, only recently has the company made some progress in South Africa, after battling regulation for a while.

In September 2024, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa met with Musk over potential investment opportunities.

"I have had discussions with him and have said, Elon, you've become so successful and you're investing in a variety of countries, I want you to come home and invest here," Ramaphosa told reporters at the time.

That meeting led to another meeting with Musk on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in October 2024.

This prompted SA's Minister of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) Solly Malatsi to announce plans to amend a law mandating that global communication companies like Starlink must have 30% ownership by historically disadvantaged groups to obtain an operating license in the country.

In the past, South African authorities have been clear that Starlink's services are technically illegal in SA unless it obtains a license to operate locally.

Back in April 2023, former DCDT Minister Mondli Gungubele denied claims that the government was blocking the operation of Starlink.

In August 2024, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) also initiated a consultation process on a proposed new licensing framework for satellite services.

In April 2024, Cameroonian authorities banned the import of Starlink satellite Internet kits into the Central African country and seized equipment at the border.

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

The company could soon be fully active in Niger after the country's ruling military junta struck a deal with Starlink to expand coverage in the poorly connected country at the beginning of November 2024.