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.
Reuters quoted him as saying that 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 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 presidential statement.
The approval process faced controversy and led to accusations of bypassing standard regulatory procedures. Hage pursued the license through the cabinet, circumventing the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). This move led to criticism that the process lacked transparency and oversight.
News Agencies/ YL