Starlink Resumes Nairobi Sign-Ups After Pausing for 7 Months

Starlink resumes Nairobi sign-ups after pausing for 7 months, bringing excitement to internet users in Kenya’s capital and nearby towns. The satellite internet company, owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, had stopped accepting new customers in Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado, and Murang’a back in November 2024. The reason for the pause was simple: too many people wanted to use Starlink’s service, and the network could not handle any more users at the time.

According to Starlink, the company had reached its maximum capacity in these areas. “Too many users were trying to access the service within Nairobi, and there wasn’t enough bandwidth to support additional customers,” Starlink explained. This meant that new customers had to wait while the company worked to expand its network and improve its service.

Now, Starlink resumes sign-ups after pausing for 7 months, and people in Nairobi and surrounding areas can once again subscribe to the service. This resumption is likely to be welcomed by many who have been waiting for reliable, high-speed internet, especially in places where traditional providers may not reach.

Starlink’s return comes at a time when the company is growing quickly in Kenya. Between June and September 2024, Starlink’s subscriber numbers in Kenya more than doubled, rising from just over 8,000 to nearly 17,000 customers. This rapid growth helped Starlink increase its share of the country’s fixed internet market from 0.5 percent to 1.1 percent. In fact, Starlink moved up from being the tenth-largest internet provider in Kenya to the eighth-largest in just a few months.

The overall fixed internet market in Kenya also grew during this time. The number of fixed internet subscriptions went up by almost 5 percent, from 1.50 million to 1.57 million. A big part of this growth was thanks to a 105 percent increase in satellite internet subscriptions. Starlink played a major role in this, using strong marketing and offering affordable satellite equipment rentals to attract more customers.

Even with Starlink’s impressive rise, the company still faces tough competition. Safaricom PLC is still the biggest internet provider in Kenya, holding a 36.6 percent market share. Other major players include Jamii Telecommunications with 24.4 percent, Wananchi Group with 16.8 percent, and Poa Internet with 12.6 percent.

Now that Starlink resumes Nairobi sign-ups, more people in the city and nearby towns can enjoy fast and reliable internet, especially in places where other providers may not have coverage. The Starlink resumption of Nairobi sign-ups is expected to boost the company’s position in Kenya’s internet market and give more options to customers looking for better connectivity.

With Starlink resumes sign-ups after pausing, the competition among internet providers in Kenya is likely to heat up, which could mean better services and prices for everyone. For now, many Kenyans are just happy that Starlink is back and ready to connect more homes and businesses in Nairobi and beyond.

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