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Elon Musk’s tech firm eyes Kenya entry by June
Friday January 13 2023
Elon Musk’s satellite Internet firm Starlink will be launched in Kenya in the second quarter of this year.
Elon Musk’s satellite Internet firm Starlink announced it will launch in Kenya in the second quarter of this year, posing competition to other players in the industry including Safaricom and Zuku.
The billionaire technology entrepreneur’s company announced it is “pending service coverage or regulatory approval”.
Kenyans, however, can order and deposit an amount of Sh12,260 ($99) which is fully refundable to get the service if approved.
READ: Billionaire Elon Musk offers Sh4.79 trillion to buy Twitter
“Order now to reserve your Starlink. Starlink is targeting service in your area starting in Q2 2023. Availability is subject to regulatory approval. Within each coverage area, orders are fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis,” the company said on its website.
The multinational said it is targeting Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa and Nakuru among other towns in starting from the three months ending June.
The company’s entry into Kenya will be faced with stiff competition from some players in the business.
The internet infrastructure in Kenya is good, unlike many of its neighbouring countries.
Safaricom is the leading Internet service provider in Kenya and has spent billions of shillings over the past five years on building its fixed-data network to connect homes, amid growth for online streaming services like Netflix.
The current Internet service providers mainly offer connectivity via fibre optic cables, over Wi-Fi and cellular networks.
Starlink, an offshoot of Mr Musk’s space technology firm SpaceX, on the other hand, delivers Internet from satellites.
Starlink uses satellites aimed at providing broadband Internet across the globe, much in the manner through which the global positioning system (GPS) provides location data to cell phones around the planet.
Unlike GPS, it requires thousands of satellites for service to work without drops in coverage.
“Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency service is made possible via the world’s largest constellation of highly advanced satellites operating in a low orbit around the Earth,” the company says on its website.
The firm will be targeting corporate customers to buy high internet speed internet.
At the end of last year, Starlink said that its American standard customers on its fixed internet plans can expect speeds of between 20 to 100 megabits per second (Mbps), while for business customers the realistic expectation numbers double to 40-220 Mbps.
READ: Elon Musk overtakes Bezos to be world’s richest person
Elon Musk’s SpaceX keeps adding Starlink coverage over new countries and regions, while continuously notching new commercial customers as it got the green light to provide satellite Internet on moving vehicles like recreational vehicles, boats, yachts, or cruise ships.
The plan to venture into Kenya comes at a time when the demand for high internet speed for streaming, video calls and online gaming is on the rise due to digitization and expensive data charges.
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Tanzania: Samia Hands Over NBC’s 354m/ – Crop Insurance Compensation to Farmers Affected By Hailstorms
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has handed over a cheque of 354m/- from the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) as compensation to tobacco farmers, who were affected by hailstorms during the previous farming season in various regions across the country.
Handing over the cheque in Dodoma, the compensation is part of the crop insurance service provided by NBC in collaboration with the National Insurance Corporation (NIC).
Furthermore, President Samia has also handed over health insurance coverage to members of the Lindi Mwambao Cooperative Union based in Lindi Region, through the Farmers’ Health Insurance service provided by the bank in partnership with Assurance Insurance Company.
While visiting the bank’s pavilion at the Nanenane Agricultural Exhibition and being received and briefed by the bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Theobald Sabi, she said: “This crop insurance is one of the crucial solutions in ensuring farmers have a reliable income, without fear of challenges such as natural disasters, including hailstorms.
“I call upon all farmers in the country to make the best use of this important opportunity by accessing these kinds of insurance services. I also highly commend NBC and all the stakeholders participating in this programme.”
Elaborating further on the crop insurance service, the Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, stated that it will help to recover the loss farmers incurred, especially in various calamities beyond their control.
Citing them as floods, fires, and hailstorms, which have significantly affected the well-being of farmers and caused some to be reluctant to invest in the crucial sector, Mr Bashe added: “However, our President, this step by NBC is just the beginning, as this is the second year since they started offering this service, and the results are already visible.
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“As the government, we promise to continue supporting the wider implementation of this service, with the goal of ensuring that this crop insurance service reaches more farmers.”
ALSO READ: NBC participates in TFF 2023/24 awards, promises to enhance competition
On his part, Mr Sabi said that the farmers who benefited from the compensations are from 23 primary cooperative unions in the regions of Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, Mbeya, Katavi, and Kigoma.
He added: “In addition to these insurance services, as a bank, through this exhibition, we have continued with our programme of providing financial education and various banking opportunities to farmers, alongside offering them various loans, including loans for agricultural equipment, particularly tractors, to eligible farmers.:
At the NBC booth, President Samia also had the opportunity to be briefed on the various services offered by the bank to the farmers namely crop insurance and health insurance services.
There, the President had the chance to speak with some of the beneficiaries of the services, including the Vice-Chairman of the Lindi Mwambao Primary Cooperative Union, Mr. Hassan Mnumbe, whose union has been provided with a health insurance card from the bank.
Source: allafrica.com
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