After years of anticipation, Elon Musk's Starlink internet service is now available in the UAE, prompting ample excitement and curiosity from consumers as well as businesses in the country.
The UAE is the latest country in the Middle East to allow the low-Earth-orbit internet service,after Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan and Israel. It is also now available for maritime purposes in the UAE.
Starlink operates independently as a satellite-based service, so one does not require a du or Etisalat account to access it. Users generally order the satellite dish and router directly from the Starlink website.
That said, it will not be regarded as an alternative to a contract with the UAE's two telecoms firms and is more likely to be used as a specialist add-on.
For the UAE, packages for Starlink, owned and operated by Mr Musk's SpaceX, are advertised as available for purchase on the company's site, starting at Dh230 ($62.60) a month.
It offers a residential service with the standard kit costing Dh1,545, including shipping, which is estimated at between one week and two weeks.
Jimmy Grewal, managing director of Dubai-based marine electronics company Elcome, spoke highly of the development. "Starlink is especially compelling for our customers as a high-performance backup connectivity solution during times of crisis, and as a practical way to connect remote or hard-to-reach locations where terrestrial infrastructure may be limited," Mr Grewal said.
In 2023, Elcome became the first company in the UAE to be authorised to sell Starlink consoles. Since then, Mr Grewal has highlighted consumer interest in Starlink’s offerings, as well as enterprise, maritime and government interest outside the UAE, which he said has proven so popular that his company has prioritised having a support staff for customers.
He welcomed the latest development that approved most of Starlink’s technology in the UAE. "We encourage the TDRA to quickly clear the path for UAE-based authorised resellers to help ensure that enterprise, maritime, energy and government customers can consume these services through locally supported, fully integrated and procurement-compliant delivery models," Mr Grewal said.
There are other caveats, as well. According to Starlink, the company's "in motion on land" feature, which allows for the consoles to be used while in transport, is restricted on land in the UAE.
But Mr Grewal said the move to approve the technology in the UAE was a big win. "Starlink’s launch in the UAE is a positive development for national connectivity resilience," he said.
Unlike traditional options such as geostationary satellites, which orbit Earth at altitudes of 20,000km to 35,000km, low-Earth-orbit satellites are in the range of 160km to 2,000km, significantly accelerating internet speeds and reducing the latency usually associated with satellites.
In contrast to 5G or broadband internet, low-Earth-orbit satellite internet terminals do not depend on mobile towers or high-speed data lines, enabling connectivity in remote areas.
They have also proven to be effective in areas where internet infrastructure has been damaged by war or natural disasters.
Some governments are not as accepting of Starlink, chief among them Iran, which claimed to have seized the devices operating illegally in the country in recent weeks. Iran is in the middle of a government-imposed internet blackout amid US and Israeli strikes on the country.
Although Mr Musk's Starlink is considered by many to be the dominant leader in the low-Earth-orbit internet sector, companies such as Amazon and Telesat are quickly trying to take advantage of the lucrative market. According to Starlink, the company's internet service is now available in more than 150 countries.
