Starlink Subscription Dip in Kenya Amidst Safaricom 5G Surge
The Kenyan internet landscape is witnessing a shift, with Starlink, the satellite internet service from SpaceX, experiencing a decrease in subscriptions for the first time since its highly anticipated launch in June 2023. This decline signals a maturing market and highlights the intensifying competition from established players like Safaricom, whose 5G network is rapidly expanding its footprint across the country. This development reflects dynamic changes in the African tech market, influenced by factors such as infrastructure investment, and changing consumer preferences.
Factors Influencing Starlink’s Downturn in Kenya
Recent data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) paints a picture of a market correction. Starlink’s fixed internet subscriptions, which peaked at over 19,000 in the fourth quarter of 2024, fell to 17,066 by the end of March 2025. This represents a loss of over 2,000 subscribers, approximately an 11% decrease in a single quarter. This dip, consequently demoted Starlink from the seventh to the eighth largest internet service provider (ISP) in Kenya. The primary contributor to this downturn was a temporary suspension of new user sign-ups, imposed by Starlink in late 2024. This pause, affecting key regions like Nairobi and surrounding counties such as Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado, and Murang’a, was attributed to overcapacity issues stemming from an overwhelming number of users attempting to connect within the same areas. Despite the opening of a new ground station in Nairobi in January, which aimed to ease the network load, a backlog of potential customers already equipped with Starlink hardware lingered, waiting for activation.
As the availability of Starlink has reopened, it will be interesting to watch the growth of subscriptions in the coming months.
The competition is intensifying.
The drop signifies an interesting shift in the Kenyan internet landscape, with implications for the ongoing battle between satellite and terrestrial internet providers.
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