Starlink pauses new subscriptions in Nairobi, cites network overload

Starlink has suspended new subscriptions in Nairobi and neighbouring Kiambu, Machakos, Narok, Murang’a and Nakuru regions, citing a network capacity overload due to increased demand.

“Nairobi and neighbouring areas are currently at network capacity. This means that too many users are trying to access the Starlink service within Nairobi, and there isn’t enough bandwidth to support additional residential or roaming customers now,” the American satellite internet service provider (ISP) says on its website when one attempts to purchase.

Further, hovering over the Starlink availability map on its website shows purchases for Nairobi and its environs are blocked out, with a 'Sold out' notification.

“Starlink is working to restore service in the disrupted areas and a notification will be sent once the residential plan is back,” the Elon Musk-owned company adds.

Starlink launched in Kenya in July 2023 and has increasingly offered competitively priced internet packages and better speed.

Within this time, it has become the country’s tenth-largest ISP, with data from the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) showing it has over 8,000 subscribers.

Earlier this year, the company announced an offer to reduce the hardware costs from the Ksh.74,000 it sold the first time it hit the local market to as low as Ksh.39,500.

In August, the company gave another deal, selling the kit from Ksh.29,000.

The ISP then introduced a kit rental option in Kenya the same month, which would see customers pay a one-time activation fee of Ksh.2,700.

One then pays a monthly hardware rental fee of Ksh.1,950, while the service plans start at Ksh.1,300 a month for a 50 GB monthly data plan. Customers still get the same internet speeds of up to 200Mbps.

Recently, the company locally unveiled its more affordable Mini variety priced at Ksh.27,000, boosting Starlink’s appeal to those who had kept off it due to the high hardware costs.

Kenyan telecoms giant Safaricom previously wrote to the government asking it to re-evaluate its decision to grant licences to satellite internet providers.

But while CA did not publicly respond to Safaricom’s request, President William Ruto in September praised Starlink's entry into Kenya for creating competition, which he said has caused existing players to provide better services.