Elon Musk’s Starlink, a satellite-based Internet service provider delivering high speed and low latency internet connectivity, has launched another package—Starlink Mini—in Kenya.
Since launching into the country in July 2023, Starlink has gained the highest adoption in recent months, but the hefty prices for its hardware kits have kept many small businesses and low-income households from exploiting its advantages.
The Starlink Mini is a compact, portable kit best fit for wanderers in a backpack and covers an area square meter of up to 112 m2 (1,200 ft2).
It operates at a wind speed of 96 kph+ (60 mph+), a snow melt of up to 25 mm/hour (1 in/hour), and at -30 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius. The power consumption while active ranges between 25 and 40 w.
The Starlink Mini hardware kits support up to 128 devices at once and work with all Starlink mesh systems, with the exception of third-party mesh systems.
Customers attracted to this new package may need to cough up to Ksh 27000 for the hardware kit and a monthly subscription of Ksh 1300.
All Starlink hardware kits are now available in the local dealers’ shops, including Naivas Supermarkets, Jumia outlets, and other licensed enterprises.
While speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA, the president said that Starlink has made local providers adjust their services to the extent of severing his ties with Safaricom CEO.
Safaricom, being the biggest holder, also increased the speed of some of the packages it offers by 400% and introduced a 1000 mbps package for a monthly cost of KSh20,000, a counter strategy to attract more customers and retain the current ones.
Starlink is currently available in 40 countries globally, with Burundi being the latest to have been activated, with more expected, including Uganda and Tanzania before the end of 2024 and earlier next year.
