Blow To Safaricom As Kituo Cha Sheria Backs Starlink's Entrance To Kenya

• Kituo Cha Sheria filed a certificate of urgency insisting that Starlink should be allowed to provide satellite internet services in Kenya
• The NGO dismissed Safaricom's claims that Starlink's entrance to the market posed a threat to mobile network quality
• Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, offers high-speed broadband to remote areas and entered the Kenyan market in July 2023

TUKO.co.ke journalist Japhet Ruto has over eight years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting and offers profound insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.

Kenya's telecommunication company, Safaricom, has been dealt a big blow after Kituo Cha Sheria moved to court backing the entrance of American billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink to the market.

Why Kitui Cha Sheria backs Starlink

The non-governmental organisation (NGO) filed a certificate of urgency insisting that Starlink should be allowed to provide satellite internet services countrywide.

It dismissed Safaricom's claims that Starlink's entrance to the market posed a threat to mobile network quality.

In its petition, the NGO argued that Safaricom was Starlink's competitor, and as such, it provided a biased judgment in its letter to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).

Through lawyer Marc Chirchir, Kituo Cha Sheria wants the court to direct CA and the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) to conduct a study to determine the regulation of satellite internet providers.

"That pending hearing and determination of this application and petition, a conservatory order and injunction be issued restraining CA and CAK from taking any actions that may be prejudicial to the consumers of SpaceX's Starlink, including but not limited to frustrating any payments made to Starlink, its subsidiaries, licensees and distributors or any affiliated companies, " it stated, as reported by Business Daily.

Kituo Cha Sheria said the threat to stop Starlink from operating in Kenya should be stopped to allow Kenyans to afford high-speed internet.

When did Starlink enter the Kenyan market?

Starlink offers high-speed broadband to remote areas and entered the Kenyan market in July 2023.

It uses satellite to send internet connectivity signals to users instead of standard broadband, which uses optic fibre and copper cables.

The company aims to connect many people worldwide in remote areas that traditional internet service providers have not covered.

What to know about Starlink and Safaricom

• Starlink has been reviewing its pricing to attract Kenyan consumers, offering broadband internet access with speeds up to 200 Mbps.
• Safaricom increased the internet speeds of its Wi-Fi packages to enhance its competitiveness against rising competition from Starlink.
• Starlink announced plans to allow mobile phone users a direct connection to the satellite internet via advanced Evolved Node B.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.