Elon Musk Reacts After Nairobi City Govt Installs Starlink Internet

• Nairobi city government became one of the pioneer counties to install Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service
• The county's chief officer of ICT Infrastructure, Tiras Njoroge, said the Starlink connection would improve service delivery to the city's residents
• Musk praised the service's integration when reacting to the Nairobi city government's move to establish Starlink as a backup internet connection

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.

American billionaire Elon Musk is celebrating the expansion of Starlink, an internet company in Kenya.

While reacting to the Nairobi city government's move to install Starlink as a backup internet connection, Musk applauded the integration of the service.

“Starlink in Nairobi," he posted on his X platform.

How Starlink will benefit Nairobi county

Capital FM reported that the city's customer service centre access internet speeds of 120 to 200 Mbps from Starlink.

Nairobi's chief officer of ICT Infrastructure, Tiras Njoroge, said the Starlink connection would improve service delivery to the city's residents.

"We are excited to announce the integration of Starlink satellite technology into our customer service centre, aimed at enhancing and improving service delivery to the residents of Nairobi. This upgrade will provide seamless, high-speed connectivity, allowing for faster and more reliable access to the Nairobi pay system,” Njoroge explained.

What are Starlink's new charges?

Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, introduced an additional fee to new internet subscribers.

The company noted that the one-time congestion fee was charged while purchasing or activating a new service plan.

The extra charge requires new customers in areas with limited network capacity to pay KSh 12,899.

Starlink introduced discounted offers in Kenya for subscribers sold through Starlink Kenya.

Kenyans installing unlimited high-speed internet pay KSh 29,999 for the kit and a KSh 6,500 installation fee.

Subscribers get a minimum monthly plan offer of KSh 1,300 after installing the Starlink internet.

How will phone users access Starlink?

Starlink continues to provide competition for fibre internet service providers (ISPs.

The company announced plans to allow mobile phone users to connect directly to the satellite internet via an advanced Evolved Node B.

According to the company, the modem is compatible with ordinary 4G-LTE mobile phones.

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