Kenya’s leading communications provider, Safaricom has announced plans to launch satellite internet in Kenya in the second half of 2023, as it is set to rival Elon Musk Starlink.
The company has partnered with AST spaceMobile to scale up its satellite, which is coming when Elon Musk’s Starlink has gone live with a similar offering in the East African country.
AST SpaceMobile has signed agreements with Vodafone Group PIc, Safaricom’s parent company. This collaboration will enable Safaricom to leverage AST SpaceMobile’s technology and infrastructure to offer reliable satellite-based connectivity to its customers in Kenya.
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After Safaricom’s successful completion of trial, AST SpaceMobile will scale up their satellite deployments in partnership with Vodacom to provide ubiquitous communications to 4G devices across Africa and beyond.
In the partnership between Safaricom and AST SpaceMobile, revenue will be shared on a 50/50 basis. The agreement also includes a commitment to maintain market exclusivity to ensure the success of the collaboration.
This strategic alliance between both companies, demonstrates the shared vision of expanding access to reliable and high-speed Internet connectivity throughout Kenya and other African markets.
Also, Elon Musk’s expansion into the Kenyan market is part of Starlink’s mission to provide internet access to remote and underserved areas around the world.
The company announced on its website that it is targeting service in areas such as the capital Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, and Nakuru. At the moment, Kenyans can order the starlink hardware for a total cost of KES90,825.93.
The move to venture into Kenya comes at a time when the demand for high internet speed for streaming, video calls, and online gaming is on the rise due to digitization and expensive data charges.
The company uses satellites to provide broadband internet across the globe, much like the global positioning system (GPS) provides location data to cell phones around the planet.
With the launch of Starlink in Kenya, customers can expect a reliable and affordable internet service that will help bridge the digital divide in the country.
The current Internet service providers in the country, mainly offer connectivity via fibre optic cables, over Wi-Fi and cellular networks. Star link on the other hand, delivers internet from satellites. Albeit pricey, which might see other users in the country opt for other cheaper satellite providers, Starlink’s speed is something to die for.
Notably, Starlink’s will no doubt be faced with stiff competition from some top internet service providers (ISPs) in the East African country like Telkom, Airtel, Safaricom, Zuku, Faiba, and others who mainly offer internet connectivity through fibre optics.
It is worth noting that Safaricom, has reportedly spent billions of shillings over the past five years on building its fixed-data network to connect homes, amid growth for online streaming services like Netflix.
With the range of satellite Internet connections in Kenya, it has the potential to shake up the traditional telecoms services, which are based on infrastructure that has left many areas without coverage, especially in rural parts of the country.