As it attempts to counteract the growing impact of Elon Musk’s Starlink, Kenya’s Safaricom is making a strategic move toward satellite broadband alliances. The action reflects a growing conflict that could change the way people entry Internet, particularly in remote areas.
The CEO of Safaricom, Peter Ndegwa, made the revelation during a subsequent earnings contact that the company is looking into working with satellite Internet companies. This program aims to provide broadband access to remote areas of Kenya that are now served by outdated infrastructure.
Following Starlink’s impressive rise in Kenya, the statement comes at a timely time. According to the Fintech Association of Kenya, the satellite company more than doubled its market share in only three months, increasing its expansion to 1.1 %, adding over 8,700 new customers, and significantly outpacing its earlier yearly development.
In response, Safaricom has made an appeal to the Communications Authority of Kenya ( CA ) to require that local mobile network operators, including Starlink, form partnerships with satellite Internet providers.
The telecoms giant claims in a report from Reuters that such collaborations would encourage investment in infrastructure, legal compliance, and regional job creation.
Kenya’s CA proposed earlier this year to significantly increase the 15-year licensing fees for satellite Internet service providers ( ISPs ) from$ 12, 302 to$ 115, 331.  ,
Despite the governmental force, Safaricom continues to support cooperation. Ndegwa noted that conversations are ongoing between Starlink and the telecom company, putting the possibility of a relationship in the future into perspective.
Interesting that Safaricom intended to compete with Starlink in 2023 by launching satellite Online services  with AST SpaceMobile. Its involvement in a new relationship might indicate that the program didn’t work out.
Both businesses are finding new ways to appeal to Kenyan customers as the opposition grows. Starlink’s satellite-based company offers an alternative for customers in remote or underrepresented areas, while Sabaraticom has rolled out enhanced broadband packages.
The conflict is also causing more in-depth regulation discussions about how to integrate new technology into Kenya’s modern economy.
In the end, Kenya’s bandwidth sector’s conflict with Safaricom and Spacecraft marks the start of a new era. Consumers stand to gain from faster speeds, better customer service, and more diverse communication as each company strives to increase their share of the market.