Elon Musk's Starlink has been granted a 10-year licence to provide satellite internet in the UAE – offering greater options to consumers in a market dominated by Du and e&.
Starlink will be able to serve individuals, businesses and government organisations, as well as provide satellite connection to the maritime and aviation sectors, authorities said. The service is expected to significantly increase internet speeds.
In March, The National reported that Musk's satellite internet service was launching in the UAE. A package advertised on the Starlink website in the UAE now starts at Dh300 a month, and it offers a residential service with the standard kit costing Dh1,465.
However, visitors to the site are advised that the service is “currently at capacity” in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and they can pay a deposit of Dh285.71 to join the waiting list.
The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority said the licence authorised Starlink to operate and manage a public satellite telecoms network and provide satellite broadband internet across the UAE.
An official said the move was designed to expand connectivity options and strengthen the country's digital infrastructure. It is also expected to support and boost emergency response capabilities.
Starlink will operate “within the UAE's established regulatory and technical frameworks”, said the regulatory authority's deputy director general Eng Mohammed Yousif Al Ramsi. The aim is to strike a balance between connectivity and network security, Mr Al Ramsi added.
The licence formalises Starlink’s position as a regulated telecoms provider, operating under the same oversight as established operators such as Etisalat by e& and du.
However, the current UAE satellite services licence should not automatically be interpreted as permission for Starlink to issue ordinary UAE mobile subscriptions or compete as a fully fledged mobile network operator like e& and du. That would depend on the relevant UAE regulatory, numbering and spectrum framework.
Will Starlink become UAE's third telecoms operator?
Not in the conventional sense, Rayad Kamal Ayub, a telecoms infrastructure expert and managing director of The Rayad Group, said.
“I don’t think Starlink will ever be a telephone or mobile substitute for e& or du. Its advantage is providing internet where there are no signals, such as in marine, extremely remote areas, deserts or disaster zones.”
He explained that e& and du remain the country’s terrestrial public telecom operators, with fibre, 4G, 5G, conventional mobile voice and UAE mobile numbering. Starlink’s core infrastructure is satellite broadband.
“I would therefore describe it today as a third national broadband infrastructure option, rather than a third conventional mobile operator,” said Mr Ayub.
Is Starlink faster than UAE fibre?
In well-covered areas of Dubai or Abu Dhabi, high-quality fibre typically surpasses Starlink in raw speed, reliability, total capacity and often latency. Existing UAE providers already promote multi-gigabit fibre services, with some reaching 10Gbps.
“Starlink's competitive advantage is not that it beats fibre where fibre is already excellent. Its advantage is that it can deliver useful broadband where extending fibre or building additional terrestrial infrastructure is difficult, slow, expensive or uneconomic,” stated Mr Ayub.
Starlink, e&, du price comparison
Mr Ayub, who uses the Starlink network, said that when the company began advertising UAE residential availability in March 2026, it was priced at approximately Dh230 per month, with the standard device priced at around Dh1,545, including shipping.
That puts its monthly residential price in a broadly similar range to some UAE fixed wireless and entry-level broadband offers. e& Home Wireless has been around Dh229 before VAT, du Home Wireless around Dh299, while promotional entry fibre packages have also appeared in the high Dh200 range.
“The comparison is not exact because fibre, 5G and satellite broadband work differently, and Starlink also requires an upfront equipment purchase. But the key point is that satellite internet is no longer a costly specialist service. It is becoming an affordable mainstream option for homes and businesses,” Mr Ayub stated.
How Starlink works
Unlike traditional communications satellites, which orbit Earth at 20,000km to 35,000km, Starlink’s thousands of satellites orbit at about 550km, which is said to significantly increase internet speeds. Satellite internet, unlike 5G or broadband internet, does not rely on mobile towers or high-speed data lines for connectivity, making it possible to serve remote areas.
Speed range of Starlink
Starlink currently reports typical land-based performance ranging from about 45 to 280 Mbps for downloads, 10 to 30 Mbps for uploads, and roughly 25 to 60 milliseconds of latency. According to Mr Ayub, certain plans in adjacent markets offer maximum speeds exceeding 400 Mbps, but these are not guaranteed.
