Lebanon licenses Elon Musk’s Starlink for satellite internet services
- On September 12, Lebanon officially authorized Elon Musk’s Starlink to offer satellite internet services across the country.
- This license followed about six months of negotiations after Musk expressed interest in Lebanon’s telecommunications during a June call with President Joseph Aoun.
- Lebanon faces a severe infrastructure crisis, with slow internet speeds and a corruption-plagued electricity sector worsened by a 2019 economic meltdown and recent conflicts.
- Starlink’s internet packages will start at $100 monthly, but access will initially be limited to companies, according to Telecommunications Ministry spokesperson Tony Saad.
- The license aims to improve Lebanon’s digital connectivity amid prolonged electricity cuts and economic challenges, signaling a key reform in the country’s infrastructure landscape.
Lebanon’s cabinet granted a license to Starlink, the satellite internet firm led by billionaire Elon Musk, to provide internet services in the country, the state news agency NNA said on Thursday.
Tony Saad, a spokesperson for Telecommunications Minister Charles Hage, said that Starlink had set up a company in Lebanon, which was awarded the license after around six months of negotiations with the government.
He said access to the service would be limited to companies, with packages starting at $100 a month.
Internet access in Lebanon, which ranks among the countries with the slowest speeds, has until now been operated exclusively by state-owned providers and their affiliates, which have lobbied the government not to grant a license to Starlink.
The country’s infrastructure – especially the electricity sector – has been severely strained by years of an unprecedented financial crisis and last year’s Israeli offensive.
“The Lebanese cabinet approved granting a license to Starlink Lebanon to provide internet distribution services across all Lebanese territory through satellites operated by SpaceX,” NNA said.
Musk expressed interest in Lebanon’s telecommunications and internet sectors in June during a phone call with President Joseph Aoun, according to a presidency statement.
