Starlink has temporarily halted new subscriptions in Nairobi and surrounding counties, including Kiambu, Machakos, Narok, Murang’a, and Nakuru, due to an overload in network capacity caused by high demand.
According to Starlink’s website, the satellite internet provider cannot support additional residential or roaming customers in these regions as network congestion has reached its limit. Users who attempt to purchase services in these areas receive a “Sold out” message on the availability map.
The company, owned by Elon Musk, has stated that it is actively working on restoring service in these areas and will notify customers once new subscriptions become available.
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Starlink, launched in Kenya in July 2023, has quickly risen to become the country’s tenth-largest internet service provider (ISP), attracting over 8,000 subscribers, according to data from the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA).
Starlink has gained a following in Kenya by offering high-speed internet packages at competitive rates, reaching up to 200Mbps. The company has also introduced several pricing adjustments and promotional offers to increase affordability.
For instance, it reduced the initial hardware price from Ksh.74,000 to Ksh.39,500 and, later in August, further discounted the hardware to Ksh.29,000. Starlink recently launched a more budget-friendly Mini option priced at Ksh.27,000 and introduced a rental plan that requires a one-time activation fee of Ksh.2,700 and a monthly rental fee of Ksh.1,950. Service plans start at Ksh.1,300 per month for a 50 GB data plan.
In response to Starlink’s growing presence, Kenya's telecom giant Safaricom requested that the government reassess its licensing policy for satellite internet providers.
Although the Communications Authority did not respond publicly, President William Ruto welcomed Starlink’s entry, noting that it has sparked competition and improved services from local ISPs.
