Starlink has entered Kenya’s top five internet service providers as satellite internet connections continue to expand, with subscriptions rising by more than half in the first half of 2026.
The growth is highlighted in the Internet Society Kenya Chapter’s State of Kenya’s Internet, H1 2026 report, which shows that satellite subscriptions increased by 54.4 per cent to 27,616 during the period under review.
The report notes that the subscriptions were almost entirely driven by Starlink, giving satellite internet a growing presence in Kenya’s fixed connectivity market.
“Satellite subscriptions, almost entirely Starlink, grew 54.4% to 27,616,” the report states.
Starlink Emerges Among Kenya’s Top Five ISPs
The report’s market-structure analysis separately places SpaceX Starlink among Kenya’s five largest internet providers, with a 5 percent share in the Pulse dataset.
Safaricom accounted for 43 percent of the market in the same analysis, followed by Airtel at 24 percent, while Wananchi held four percent and MTN Business two percent.
The figures point to a growing role for satellite connectivity in a market traditionally dominated by mobile networks and fixed terrestrial infrastructure.
Starlink’s expansion has been particularly significant in areas where fibre connectivity is limited or difficult to deploy, providing an alternative for households, businesses and institutions seeking high-speed internet access.
The Internet Society Kenya report, however, shows that satellite services remain a relatively small part of the wider fixed broadband market.
Kenya had 2.84 million fixed data and internet subscriptions during the period, a 32.4 percent year-on-year increase.
Fiber accounted for 1.57 million subscriptions, or 55.2 percent of the fixed market, while fixed wireless subscriptions crossed the one-million mark.
Also Read: Kenya Charging Ksh4,657 Tax for Starlink Connection Every Month
Kenya’s Internet Backbone Grows as Connectivity Gaps Persist
The report says Kenya’s internet infrastructure has continued to expand, supported by international connectivity, submarine cables, internet exchange points and growing investment in data centers.
“Kenya remains a median global performer on internet resilience, scoring 53/100, equal to the global average and 12 points above the African average of 41,” the report says.
The country recorded 28.1 Tbps of international bandwidth in the first quarter of 2026, up 16.4 percent.
Kenya also had seven submarine cable landings, with two additional cables expected by 2027.
The country had five active internet exchange points, with about 90 percent of the 222 active networks connecting through an IXP.
The report says the growth of satellite connectivity is also important for extending internet access to areas that may not be commercially attractive for traditional fixed infrastructure.
“Starlink’s presence in the top five is notable,” the report says in its assessment of Kenya’s market structure.
Despite the growth in subscriptions, the report identifies meaningful connectivity as one of the major challenges facing Kenya.
Internet-user penetration stood at 35 percent, with a significant gap between urban and rural areas. Urban internet penetration was estimated at 57 percent, compared with 25 percent in rural areas.
Also Read: Starlink Ranked Among Kenya’s Top 10 Fixed Internet Companies
Kenya’s 88 Million Mobile Subscriptions Mask Internet Access Gap
Mobile connectivity remains the dominant form of internet access in the country.
Kenya had about 88 million active mobile subscriptions by June 30, 2026, equivalent to approximately 165 percent penetration. Smartphones accounted for 65.6 percent of connected devices.
The report notes that the high number of mobile subscriptions does not translate directly into equivalent levels of internet use.
“Kenya’s binding constraint is meaningful connectivity, not simply network availability,” the report states.
The Internet Society Kenya report also points to weaknesses in network performance and technical security despite the country’s relatively strong overall internet resilience position.
Mobile network performance recorded a resilience subscore of 43 out of 100, with consistency and responsiveness each scoring 32.
The report also found relatively low adoption of some technical security measures. IPv6 capability stood at between 13 and 15 percent, while only six percent of Kenyan networks were found to perform Route Origin Validation.
At the same time, Kenya recorded strong institutional cybersecurity performance, scoring 99 out of 100 in the Global Cybersecurity Index.
The country’s cyber threat environment remained significant, although detected threat events declined during the first half of 2026.
The report says the Communications Authority’s KE-CIRT/CC detected 3.37 billion cyber threat events between January and March, a 26.15 percent decline from the previous quarter. A further 30.03 percent decline was recorded between April and June.
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