Lebanon approves Starlink license, opening a new chapter for internet access

Lebanon’s cabinet has officially granted a license to Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture under SpaceX, to provide nationwide services, a decision that marks a turning point in the country’s chronically underperforming internet sector.

The announcement, carried by the National News Agency (NNA), comes after six months of negotiations and follows a June phone call in which Musk personally conveyed his interest in Lebanon’s telecom market to President Joseph Aoun. A newly established subsidiary, Starlink Lebanon, will oversee local operations.

Limited rollout, strategic sectors first

According to Telecommunications Ministry spokesperson Tony Saad, Starlink services will initially be restricted to businesses, with packages starting at $100 per month. The first beneficiaries are expected to be strategic sectors—banking, education, government, and commercial enterprises where stable, high-speed connections are critical.

Breaking a long-standing monopoly

Lebanon consistently ranks among the countries with the slowest internet speeds worldwide, a reality shaped by decades of state-controlled networks and their affiliates. By licensing Starlink, the government is signaling a departure from this monopoly and endorsing satellite connectivity as a resilient alternative to fragile fiber-optic and mobile infrastructures.

A global player arrives in Lebanon

Starlink currently operates a constellation of more than 8,000 satellites, providing reliable internet access in regions affected by outages, natural disasters, or poor infrastructure. Lebanon now joins a growing list of Middle Eastern states including Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Jordan where the service is expanding.

The next question: households

While businesses will be the first to benefit, Lebanese households remain excluded from the initial rollout. For a population long plagued by sluggish speeds and frequent service disruptions, whether Starlink’s entry will eventually reshape consumer internet access is the defining question still to be answered.