Elon Musk comments on the entry of Starlink in Kenya
Elon Musk says the entry of Starlink Internet in Kenya has forced local players to provide better services
Elon Musk says the entry of Starlink Internet in Kenya has forced local players to provide better services.
American Billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday waded into the debate surrounding the impact Starlink has had in Kenya and the disruption it has caused local players in the tech scene.
Musk, who is known to be very vocal online, particularly on X which he owns, responded to a clip where President William Ruto opened up on the decision-making that saw the Kenyan government agree to open the market for Starlink which is considered to be a foreign entity.
President Ruto, who was speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) reiterated the position that Kenya is an open market with his government keen on encouraging competition which he believes will on a general scale, lead to the provision of better products and services.
Musk intimated that Ruto’s sentiments meant that Kenyans had confidence in the ability of his Starlink product to penetrate the market.
The American billionaire cheekily commented that Starlink’s entry into the Kenyan space had culminated into better services for Kenyan consumers with local service providers being forced to up their game.
‘’As the President of Kenya says, Starlink causes local competitors to provide better services,’’ Musk shared.
President Ruto had on Monday during a business roundtable meeting revealed that Starlink’s entry into the Kenyan market faced a lot of resistance from local players who felt the foreign firm’s entry would eat into their market share.
Ruto admitted during the roundtable that Kenya would be seeking more competitors in a bid to revolutionize the digital space in Kenya.
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Locally, Starlink has been well received with many Kenyan companies and business owners signaling a shift in a bid to access alternative internet options.
Starlink relies on the use of digital bandwidths from space satellites, requiring minimal installation requirements as compared to what local tech companies have been offering. Most of them rely on fiber optics use.
Kenya has primarily been relying on the internet from undersea cables. The downside of this are the numerous disturbances reported every time there are technical issues within the sea.
Kenya got its first undersea cable connection in 2009 under President Mwai Kibaki. Some 6 submarine cables are in active service currently.
According to the government, an additional two undersea cables are under construction. This is expected to raise Kenya’s internet capacity and contribute to even better prices for consumers.
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