The rivalry between Kenyan Telecommunications giant Safaricom and American satellite internet service provider Starlink over the dominance in the Kenyan internet market has taken a new twist. Safaricom Plc Chief Executive Officer Peter Ndegwa on September 26 said that the company is in talks with Tesla owner and billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink and other satellite providers on potential future partnerships.

Safaricom, the largest telecommunications network provider in Kenya, intends to partner with tech juggernaut Elon Musk's Starlink that has disrupted the internet market owing to its competitive packages and faster internet speeds.

President William Ruto has backed US billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink’s entry into Kenya amid a petition from Safaricom to reconsider the award of licences to satellite Internet providers. Dr Ruto told the US-Kenya Business and Investment Roundtable that the entrance of Starlink is in line with government policy of deepening Internet penetration and encouraging competition in the market.

Kenya’s largest telecom firm, Safaricom Plc, is engaging in discussions with Elon Musk’s Starlink and other satellite companies for potential future collaborations, CEO Peter Ndegwa revealed in an interview as reported by Bloomberg.