NAIROBI, Kenya- If you’re looking to sign up for Starlink in Nairobi, you might be out of luck for now.
Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture, has temporarily paused new subscriptions in Nairobi and surrounding areas following a surge in demand that has maxed out its local network capacity.
With rapid uptake straining Starlink’s bandwidth, the company has halted sign-ups for residential, business, and roaming plans.
The decision comes on the heels of numerous complaints from users in the greater Nairobi metropolitan area who reported service disruptions and limited options for Starlink’s different plans.
Addressing the issue, Starlink explained, “Nairobi and neighboring areas are currently at network capacity. This means 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 at this time.”
The company advised potential users to check service availability on its official website to see if space opens up, although Nairobi is currently listed as “sold out.”
This network congestion has also affected areas beyond Nairobi, including Thika, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos, and Naivasha. Starlink stated that service restoration efforts are underway, and users will be notified once more capacity is available.
Since its Kenyan debut in July 2023, Starlink has seen impressive uptake despite high costs, especially in regions where traditional terrestrial internet services are scarce or non-existent.
The basic residential plan, priced at Ksh6,500 per month, offered unlimited high-speed internet, while a roaming plan at Ksh14,000 provided additional features like inland portability and the option to pause the service.
However, due to current capacity limitations, the more affordable packages are reportedly “out of stock,” leaving only high-end plans available, some exceeding Ksh130,000 per month.
To address hardware accessibility, Starlink introduced a rental service at Ksh1,950 monthly, allowing users to rent the satellite kit instead of purchasing it outright for Ksh45,500.
According to data from Kenya’s Communications Authority, the service gained traction rapidly, boasting over 8,000 subscribers as of mid-2024—roughly 0.5pc of Kenya’s internet market share.
Despite a rocky start marked by criticism over pricing, Starlink’s entry into Kenya has highlighted a strong demand for reliable, high-speed internet in underserved regions, including the remote North Eastern parts of the country.
However, meeting this demand has become a significant challenge as more Kenyans join the service. With increased load straining its infrastructure, Starlink faces the balancing act of scaling its network to sustain both quality and accessibility.
