High-speed Starlink internet is set to come to Lebanon after the government granted a licence to the Elon Musk-owned satellite network.
The service could upgrade internet access in a country often affected by power cuts and unstable telecoms. Starlink is already available in parts of the Middle East, including Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Jordan.
Talks on expanding to Lebanon have been taking place for months and ministers agreed to grant a licence at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Information Minister Paul Morcos said.
Mr Musk, whose company SpaceX company runs the Starlink satellites, spoke to Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun in June and "expressed interest" in entering the country's internet sector.
Starlink executive, Sam Turner, had previously pitched the service to Mr Aoun as a way to "positively impact the work of industrial, commercial, banking and educational institutions, as well as government departments and institutions”.
Satellite internet is an alternative to mobile and fibreoptic connections. Damage to a Red Sea cable led to internet speeds slowing to a crawl in parts of the Middle East last weekend. Starlink services were interrupted by power cuts in July and August.
More than 8,000 Starlink satellites operate about 550km above the Earth. The company says its services are pending regulatory approval in the UAE.
Mr Musk, the world's richest man, was a major backer of US President Donald Trump during his 2024 election campaign. He led a major cost-cutting initiative known as the Department of Government Efficiency before leaving his role amid a public fallout with Mr Trump.
