Starlink has announced that its more affordable Mini kit variety, costing Kes 27,000 and with monthly packages starting from Kes 1,300, is available in Kenya.
American satellite internet firm Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk announced in June that the cheaper option would be available in the country while responding to a query on X.
Starlink Mini will be about half the standard terminal price and available later this year
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 26, 2024
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Starlink launched in Kenya in July 2023 and has increasingly offered competitively priced internet packages and better speed, but its hardware cost has kept many potential buyers off.
Starlink Mini is more compact and portable than the Starlink Standard.
It covers up to 112 square meters and is recommended for basic internet applications in both fixed and portable use. In comparison, Standard covers up to 297 square meters, 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.
And while Starlink Standard comes with a Gen 3 WiFi Router, Starlink Mini comes with integrated WiFi.
Initially, the Starlink kit cost Kes 74,000, but the price decreased 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 Kes 39,500.
Last month, it gave another deal, selling the kit from Ksh.29,000.
Still last month, the satellite ISP introduced a kit rental option in Kenya, which will see customers pay a one-time activation fee of Kes 2,700.
The user will then pay a monthly hardware rental fee of Kes 1,950, while the service plans start at Kes 1,300 a month for a 50 GB monthly data plan.
Customers still get the same internet speeds of up to 200Mbps.
