Telecoms

Starlink to begin operating in Lebanon

June 3, 2025, 12:49 PM

A Starlink satellite dish on a residential building. Full approval for the company to begin operations in Lebanon is expected this month

Minister meets Starlink delegation
Service starts ‘as soon as possible’
Security approval already given

Satellite internet provider Starlink, owned by US billionaire Elon Musk, has secured initial approval from Lebanon to start operating in the country.

The agreement comes just a few months before the crisis-battered nation signs a landmark rescue agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Lebanese media reported on Monday that economy and trade minister Amer Bisat met a Starlink delegation to discuss the entry of the US company into Lebanon’s market.

A statement by the ministry said later that Bisat expressed “commitment to helping Starlink establish a presence in Lebanon as soon as possible”.

“Starlink operations in Lebanon will provide the private sector in the country with effective and credible internet services,” Bisat said.

Lebanon’s MTV television said Starlink, which operates in more than 125 countries, has already started procedures to set up a presence in Lebanon after obtaining security approval, adding that the cabinet is expected to give it a final nod in June.

Musk accompanied US president Donald Trump on his recent visit to the region, where a number of Starlink deals and announcements were announced. Musk said Saudi Arabia has approved the use of the company’s system for its aviation and maritime sectors.

Dubai’s Emirates airline is reportedly in talks to offer Starlink in-flight WiFi services.

Oman has already approved Starlink, while state-backed Qatar Airways announced in October it will provide Starlink internet service on all its flights within a year.

Lebanon, which is suffering from the worst financial and economic crisis in its modern history, has just launched plans to rebuild damaged facilities and rehabilitate its infrastructure, which has been devastated by 15 years of civil strife.

Rebuilding will focus on power and communications networks, as well as roads, water and facilities damaged during the conflict between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah last year.

Figures by the Singapore-based Datareportal digital services company showed Lebanon had around 5.4 million internet users at the end of 2024, nearly 90 percent of its population.

Lebanon, which is saddled with foreign debt of more than $100 billion, is expected to sign an agreement with the IMF in September for a rescue package, which is linked to comprehensive reforms, including restructuring of the financial sector.