Analysis by Rest of World, a global non-profit publication covering the impact of technology outside of the West, indicates that in at least five of the 16 African countries where the internet service is available, a monthly Starlink subscription is cheaper than the leading fixed internet service provider.
The five countries include Ghana, where it was reported that Starlink’s price is even less than half (US$33) what the leading ISP charges (US$71) a month.
The four other countries are Kenya, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, which is the worst of them all – US$633 for the leading ISP against Starlink’s US$30.
The report noted that subscription cost does not include the upfront cost of Starlink hardware, which ranges in price and availability from $178 for a Starlink Mini in Kenya to $381 for a Standard Actuated kit in Nigeria.
Rest of World determined the leading fixed internet service providers through reports published by each country’s communications authority, and obtained the cheapest prices from each company’s website. Prices were then converted to U.S. dollars to make comparisons.
Starlink does not have fixed rates; instead it intermittently raises and lowers its prices. On its website, it notes, “Starlink may adjust prices over time to reflect market conditions resulting in a decrease or increase of the monthly service plan cost.” SpaceX did not respond to Rest of World’s request for comment.
To conduct this analysis, Rest of World compared the price of Starlink’s residential service to the cheapest unlimited fixed internet plan offered by leading fixed internet service providers on January 9, 2025.
Below is the result from the analysis by Rest of World, which also indicates that, in Nigeria, the monthly fee of Starlink (US$48.47) is more than five times that of the leading ISP (US$9.59).
