Starlink is a Passing Fad
Before you kill me, hear me out. Starlink lacks the characteristics of scalable technology—at least in Kenya/Africa.
#RutoMustGo
June 25th 2024, the infamous day in Kenya's history brought about a revolutionary fervour and a long-standing communication problem — how to stop the spread of ideas in a charged crowd. At precisely 6 p.m., the moment the Kenyan government had declared protests must cease, the internet went down across East Africa.
The timing, seen as too coincidental, led the agitated crowd to conclude that the government had shut down the internet to stifle the protest. The blame extended to Safaricom, which was perceived as colluding with the government to suppress freedom of expression.
No one knows exactly what happened, but the official explanation of a cable cut seemed unconvincing. In the past, similar incidents took weeks to repair, with detailed reports on the location and cause of the cuts. This time, however, no such details were provided, and the internet was restored without any explanation.
The anger was primarily aimed at Safaricom, the country’s largest internet provider. Online, calls to boycott the company and abandon its products reached a fever pitch.
Starlink to the Rescue
During the protest, I was in the remote heart of Homa Bay County. As events unfolded, I depended on Safaricom’s internet and Twitter to stay updated on the situation in the city. It felt far more connected than the rural residents, who gathered in bars and pubs to watch this unprecedented protest in the country on TV.
Around 6 p.m., the internet slowed to a crawl before becoming completely inaccessible. I remember the frustration, eager to stay informed but suddenly cut off. I joined my relatives around a small TV in a dimly lit bar, but the coverage only showed events from earlier in the day — nothing on the latest developments. I found myself questioning if we still had a country, but with no answers in sight, I drowned my anxiety with a jug of Keg.
The protest coincided with Starlink’s launch in Kenya, and with the belief that the government couldn’t control its operations, the satellite internet provider quickly became a favourite among protesters, symbolizing defiance against government interference with free speech. Starlink gadgets began flying off the shelves, and I decided to jump on the bandwagon once I returned to the city.
Stir-fried on a Starlink
I got my Starlink and felt like I’d done my part in supporting the protests. The setup was simple, as long as you had a clear view of the sky. Once everything was in place, I jumped online. But when I couldn’t get a steady stream on YouTube, I assumed the device was still “acclimatizing” to my location. However, as time passed, the speeds didn’t improve. Frustrated, I decided to run a speed test.
To my surprise, it felt like I was back on 3G. The download speeds hovered around 7 Mbps, with the best I got being 20 Mbps. Starlink had promised speeds of up to 200 Mbps, not to mention its “untouchable” reputation. Over the several days, I noticed I couldn’t get a clear connection on Zoom and sometimes YouTube would be buffering. I went back to the terms and conditions and got the hard truth. Starlink offers “best attempt” speeds. The advertised speeds of ~200 Mbps are only achievable in Europe and the US where there is a concentrated constellation of satellites.
In comparison, Home Fibre offered a more reliable connection than Starlink. The best speed I ever achieved on Starlink was 60 Mbps, but it was unstable, often dropping to 1 Mbps within minutes. I felt cheated, and buyer’s remorse quickly set in. But the worst part wasn’t the speed — it was the pricing. When I first signed up, the package was Kshs 6,500 per month. However, when renewing for the next month, I received a message saying the Kshs 6,500 tier was “full”, and I had to upgrade to the Kshs 10,000 package, which I reluctantly did. The following month, the Kshs 10,000 package also filled up, forcing me to upgrade again to the Kshs 14,000 tier.
I had to retreat to the bathroom and let out some frustration. I was paying three times what I paid for home fibre, but only getting a tenth of the speed. That’s when it dawned on me that I had made an emotional purchase rather than a well-reasoned and calculated choice. Starlink doesn’t work for the Kenyan market.
One Star Rating
The Rational Choice Theory states that individuals use their self-interest to make choices that will provide them with the greatest benefit. In my scenario, I got the least benefit. The only thing I could brag about was that the connection was shutdown-proof. However, I soon realized that Starlink operates in Kenya as Starlink Internet Services Kenya Ltd, a company regulated by the Communications Authority.
This meant that, if the government wished so, they could ban the subsidiary from operating or block its MPESA Pay Bill number, making it difficult for subscribers to pay their monthly fees — just as the Brazilian government had done. Now, I am stuck with an expensive underperforming gadget.
So far, Starlink hasn’t provided me with anything that Home Fibre couldn’t offer. I recognize, however, that Starlink is the best choice for remote hotels and businesses where fibre optic isn’t accessible. For someone living in the city, it’s less practical, especially considering that if you live in an apartment, the installation might be impossible.
The Starlink Issue
The Starlink protest-fuelled adoption reminds me of the Telegram adoption after the Facebook data fiasco. In case you forgot about it here is a summary.
In 2021, Meta announced plans to share user data with businesses and third-party service providers operating on WhatsApp and Facebook, sparking privacy concerns and the #BoycottWhatsApp movement.
The boycott movement resulted in a widespread deletion of WhatsApp and a surge in users switching to Telegram. It wasn’t reported that in subsequent months, Telegram lost its adopted new users who returned to WhatsApp. The network effect drove users back to WhatsApp.
Starlink users are likely to return to Home Fibre, much like what happened with WhatsApp. The device cost remains too high, even with the introduction of Starlink Mini, and the monthly subscription is expensive, while the current speeds aren’t sufficient. Ultimately, we’ll dust off our Home Fibre routers, like the prodigal son, and power them back up in repentance.
