(3 Minutes Read)
Kenyans allege that the government intended to interrupt the flow of information across social media. Many Kenyans, for the first time, had to scramble through app stores to find Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that would serve their needs in the event of an internet shutdown.
Kenyans have realized that traditional internet infrastructure is susceptible to state disruption and thus unreliable. During the recent agitation against new levies imposed by the Government, both data networks and Wi-Fi networks were throttled. Kenyans allege that the government intended to interrupt the flow of information across social media. Many Kenyans, for the first time, had to scramble through app stores to find Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that would serve their needs in the event of an internet shutdown.
However, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) issued a statement denying that there were plans to shut down the internet on the slated day of the protests. The largest Telco, Safaricom, was blamed for following the government directives to throttle its internet service. The company, however, attributed slow internet to two undersea cables that had been damaged.
Many people hold that the allegations that Safaricom was complicit in the internet disruption were true because of government pressure. Some people clamor to boycott the company.
Analysts feel that this might help other telecom service providers like Starlink to up their exposure in the East African country. Starlink, a satellite internet service owned by billionaire Elon Musk, offers a 50GB data package for as low as KSh 1,300 per month. However, Starlink has faced a slow uptake because of its expensive kit. The hardware prices cost about KSh 89,000. Between May and 10th June, the Starlink kit was offered at KSh 39,000. The time frame might have been too short to garner any meaningful subscribers, and the company may have to re-evaluate offer time brackets.
Earlier this week, Starlink announced ‘Starlink Mini’ antennae that would cost substantially less than the pilot product. Elon Musk replied to Kenyans on X (formerly Twitter) that the kit would be available in the country later this year. The ‘Starlink Mini’ is priced at USD 599 in the United States but it could be priced differently once it enters the Kenyan market. The company intends to broaden the accessibility of satellite internet across the continent to reduce reliance on undersea cables that have been fraught with disruptions this year.
The company owns 6,000 satellites already and with cheaper hardware kits entering the market, global uptake could see rise exponentially. More than 90% of the world currently relies on undersea cables to provide internet for homes, educational institutions, and government installations.
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https://trendsnafrica.com/protests-continue-in-kenya-despite-repeal-of-controversial-finance-bill/
Starlink is a satellite internet service that the government cannot curtail as it is beyond their control. For this reason, it has seen heightened interest from people living in countries with unreliable broadband internet or countries prone to intermittent shutdowns.
