Elon Musk’s satellite internet firm Starlink is widening its presence in Kenya after entering a new partnership with rural broadband operator Mawingu Networks, signalling a shift towards collaboration in a market where it initially stirred fears of disruption.

In its latest move, Starlink has tapped Mawingu to lead the deployment of its satellite internet service in rural Kenya, starting with some 450 community innovation hubs that will be bankrolled by Microsoft across Kenya.

Coming just a few months after the American firm entered a similar deal for redistribution with leading internet service providers Safaricom and Airtel, the move signals Starlink’s strategic shift to collaboration rather than rivalry that had stirred the Kenyan market, where satellite internet remains scarcely accessible.

Mawingu, whose operations sprouted from Nanyuki in 2012, is one of the leading fixed internet providers in Kenya’s rural areas, and is banking on Starlink’s satellite offerings to improve affordability and accelerate its expansion in the country.

“By integrating satellite technology with community-led deployment models, we are securing affordable, high-quality connectivity as the foundation for long-term progress,” said Farouk Ramji, Mawingu Networks CEO.

Starlink, on the other hand, will benefit from an increased customer base in the country, especially in rural areas where its services have remained inaccessible due to the high upfront cost of procuring the required hardware.

The partnership’s first 450 digital hubs, including schools, farmer cooperatives, aggregation centres, and digital resource facilities, are meant to provide online education, strengthen agricultural value chains, enable entrepreneurship and unlock access to AI-powered tools in rural and peri-urban communities in the country.

The deal with Mawingu – now its third in the country – highlights the evolution in Starlink’s Kenya strategy.

When the satellite provider entered the market, it was widely perceived as a potential threat to dominant telecom operators such as Safaricom and Airtel Kenya, whose businesses rely heavily on fibre and mobile broadband infrastructure.

Its direct-to-consumer model and competitive pricing initially suggested a head-on battle for subscribers. Safaricom strongly opposed its operations in the country, even asking the regulator to suspend its license, alleging interference with cellular infrastructure.

However, Starlink made peace with Safaricom last November in an apparent recalibration of its approach to expanding in the Kenyan market, moving towards areas of complementarity and exploring ways to coexist with established players rather than directly undercut them.

The deal with Mawingu is an extension of the partnership approach.

Rather than competing for urban customers already served by fibre networks, Starlink’s satellite capacity will be channelled through a local operator specialising in underserved markets.

Mawingu currently controls 3.7 percent of Kenya’s fixed internet market, with 84,099 subscribers, making it the eighth largest internet supplier in the country, just two positions above Starlink, which has since claimed 0.8 percent market share in the country.

By embedding satellite backhaul into Mawingu’s rural distribution model, the partnership aims to reduce the cost and logistical hurdles of extending broadband into remote counties where terrestrial infrastructure is expensive or commercially unviable.

Globally, an estimated 2.2 billion people remain offline, making rural connectivity one of the defining infrastructure gaps of the digital era.

→ vogweno@ke.nationmedia.com

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