Safaricom has announced a 25% discount on all new fibre connections for businesses for the next two months.
The discount, aimed at taking on Starlink, is targeting businesses in fibre-ready buildings in a move to help them take advantage of its services under the Grow with Safaricom package.
In a direct response to Starlink’s increasing footprint in Kenya, Safaricom also recently upgraded its fibre internet packages—offering faster speeds at no extra cost. The updated plans include:
- 10 Mbps → 15 Mbps for KES 3,000
- 20 Mbps → 30 Mbps
- 40 Mbps → 80 Mbps
- 100 Mbps → 500 Mbps for KES 12,500
- New 1 Gbps plan for KES 20,000
These move from Safaricom is expected as Starlink recently unveiled its Nairobi ground station which significantly reduced latency—dropping from 120–150 ms to as low as 30 ms—and improved upload speeds and resumed sign-ups after a seven-month freeze due to capacity constraints.
Starlink’s Kenyan subscriber base dropped by about 11%, from over 19,000 in Q4 2024 to approximately 17,000 by March 2025. This marked its first user decline locally, coinciding with strong growth from rivals like Safaricom’s 5G services.
Starlink introduced a more affordable “Mini Kit” (approx. KES 27,000) and a monthly plan around $30.87 (~KES 5,000), making its offerings more accessible to cost-conscious users.
Safaricom’s aggressive enhancement of its fibre and 5G services—without raising prices—demonstrates its commitment to delivering value and defending market share. Meanwhile, Starlink continues focusing on coverage and technical improvements, especially in underserved and remote areas.
With these price cut, Safaricom is able to bring together higher speeds, bundled services, and sign up more users taking Starlink out of cities to remote coverage and rapidly improving performance.
“Our commitment at Safaricom Business is to power business growth through products and solutions that matter to entrepreneurs. This offer on fibre to the business will ensure MSMEs have access to the fastest, most reliable internet that matches their ambitions,” said Frankline Okata, Ag. Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Safaricom PLC.
The Grow with Safaricom Business Forum held under the theme ‘Fuelling Financial Growth Through Innovation’ brought together a diverse range of entrepreneurs from Nairobi’s vibrant SME sector, all united by a shared ambition to grow, innovate, and overcome the unique challenges faced by small businesses in a rapidly changing economic landscape.
The Grow with Safaricom Business forums have positively impacted on thousands of entrepreneurs across the country through physical and virtual forums.
Data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics show that more than 70% of small businesses fail within the first three years, largely due to cash flow or market issues.
“These challenges present an opportunity for collaboration and growth. We have introduced business credit solutions that leverage transaction history and real-time business performance to offer practical, accessible, and flexible credit solutions tailored to the needs of entrepreneurs,” Okata said.