Safaricom Challenges Starlink’s Entry into Kenyan Market

Kenya’s leading Telecommunications provider Safaricom, had filed a complaint to the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) to complain about the entry of satellite internet provider Starlink in the Kenyan market.

In a statement Safaricom said Starlink is likely to infringe Kenya’s territorial integrity since it is not limited by any country’s border.

The Kenyan Telco raised concerns that authorizing Starlink to operate in Kenya would cause “harmful interference” in Kenya.

“Satellite coverage inherently spans multiple territorial borders and in doing so has the potential to illegally provide services and cause harmful interference within territorial borders of the Republic of Kenya,” Safaricom said in a statement.

The Elon Musk owned company was launched in Kenya in July 2023 and had since encroached into Safaricom’s customer base, providing cheaper internet services.

With Starlink’s approach of renting its internet connection equipment instead of selling them, customers have jumped up to the opportunity to enjoy affordable internet service.

Starlink’s internet equipment goes for Sh45,000 ($350).

Safaricom said Starlink should work with Kenya’s internet providers instead of entering the market independently, a move that has angered a section of Kenyans who took to social media to castigate Safaricom for its alleged monopolistic actions.

Safaricom is owned by the Kenyan government, Britain’s Vodacom and South Africa’s Vodacom companies.

Experts says that Starlink is likely to pose a serious competition to Safaricom, which has dominated Kenyan internet service for a long time.

Other countries where Starlink operates includes Malawi, Madagascar, Benin, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.