Starlink’s Market Share in Kenya Drops Despite Adding New Subscribers

American satellite internet company, Starlink, has lost ground in Kenya’s fixed broadband market, slipping to ninth place in the quarter ended June 2025.

According to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) Q4 Sector Statistics Report for the 2024/2025 financial year, Starlink’s market share dropped slightly from 0.9 percent to 0.8 percent over the three-month period, despite adding 359 new customers. Its subscriber base grew from 17,066 in January–March to 17,425 in April–June 2025.

The Elon Musk-owned firm, which launched in Kenya in July 2023, is popular for providing ultra-speed internet services to both served and unserved areas, enabling access for individuals and communities in remote or off-grid locations without reliance on traditional network masts.

However, its growth has been limited by the relatively high initial cost of its equipment, which ranges from approximately Ksh28,000 to Ksh45,000. The recent decline in market share is also attributed to a freeze on new connections during the review period.

Latest market share

Meanwhile, telecommunications giant Safaricom maintained its dominant position in Kenya’s fixed internet market with a 34.3 percent share, despite a slight dip from the previous quarter.

The company expanded its fixed internet subscriber base by 57,631 users, reaching 735,749 customers between April and June 2025, up from 678,118 in the previous quarter.

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Jamii Telecommunications Limited also grew its customer base to 442,076 users, holding a 20.6 percent market share. Wananchi Group and Poa Internet Kenya experienced a decline in their subscriber numbers, with 271,822 and 268,554 users, respectively.

Notably, Ahadi Wireless, backed by e-commerce firm Ahadi Corporation, made a strong debut in the top 10 fixed internet service providers with a 7.5 percent market share and approximately 160,000 users. Vilcom and Mawingu also gained market share during the quarter.

“Safaricom PLC topped in fixed data/Internet subscriptions with a market share of 34.3 per cent, followed by Jamii Telecommunications Limited at 20.6 per cent,” CA data shows.

“Ahadi Wireless Limited appeared in the top ten list of fixed internet service providers, as shown in Table 12. Ahadi Wireless Limited joined the top ten categories with a market share of 7.5 per cent.”

Resumption of Starlink subscriptions after pause

The CA report follows Starlink’s resumption of new customer subscriptions in Nairobi and its surrounding counties, including Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado, and Murang’a, in June 2025. This came after a seven-month freeze that began in November 2024.

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The freeze was implemented to address growing network congestion caused by a surge in user sign-ups, particularly in densely populated areas like Nairobi. As the number of users grew, Starlink’s network experienced reduced speeds and performance issues, prompting the company to halt new residential and roaming activations to preserve service quality for existing customers.

At the time, Starlink stated that Nairobi and nearby regions had reached full network capacity and could no longer support additional users. The company clarified that no new roaming plans would be available in Kenya until sufficient improvements were made.

To enhance capacity and ensure sustainable service delivery, Starlink commissioned a new ground station in Nairobi in January 2025. This upgrade aimed to boost local bandwidth and improve overall network performance. As of September 2025, Starlink’s updated coverage map reflects renewed service availability in key towns, with multiple users reporting successful activations since the relaunch.

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