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3. Starlink in Lebanon: Hopes, Fears and the Battle for the Digital Sky

On Wednesday, Telecommunications Minister Charles Hage removed from the Cabinet agenda a draft law aimed at regulating Starlink’s entry into Lebanon. Officially, the move allows for further study. Unofficially, the issue is already fueling political tensions and heated debate: Is it a threat to digital sovereignty or an opportunity to revolutionize internet access?

Internet from Space

The plan would bring to Lebanon the high-speed internet service developed by SpaceX, Elon Musk’s aerospace company. Unlike Ogero’s wired networks, Starlink operates through a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites, providing a “direct connection” without relying on the country’s ground-based infrastructure. A motorized antenna and a Wi-Fi router are enough to capture the signal – even in remote villages where fiber-optic service remains a distant promise.

Strategic Asset… But Technological Dependence

Starlink could reduce the risk of total digital blackouts – those full-scale outages that, in times of crisis, cut Lebanon off from the rest of the world. But access would still hinge on a foreign provider, leaving the door open to technical failures, network congestion, or even deliberate service shutdowns, warns an IT solutions consultant interviewed by This is Beirut.

When the Market Joins the Fray

Originally designed as a Plan B against a nationwide blackout, the Starlink project now risks upending Lebanon’s entire telecom market. Its aim: to connect rural areas and private businesses without fiber – even if that means stepping on the toes of Ogero and local providers. As a result, these companies fear their revenues could drop by as much as 25%.

The Negotiations in Focus

The telecom minister is negotiating not only with Starlink but also with Arabsat and Eutelsat. Beirut has set clear conditions: no individual subscriptions, service limited to large businesses, and most importantly, prices must not undercut Ogero. Enforcing such a rule could prove challenging. At one point, it became clear Lebanese laws would not need to be amended for Starlink to operate in the country.

The Price Gap

Today, companies pay $450 a month for 30 Mbps via Ogero. With Starlink, the bill would drop to between $150 and $200. The difference stems from two factors: a ban on expanding fiber in certain areas, and a local rate of $15 per megabit – versus just a few cents on the global market.

Digital Sovereignty at Stake

Critics argue that entrusting part of the network to Starlink would hand over control of data – their storage and the technologies involved – to a foreign entity beyond Lebanese oversight. A provisional agreement reportedly under discussion would place the servers in Germany, a country known for strict data-protection laws.

Negotiations and discussions are still underway. What will the final version of the agreement look like – if there even is one? Only time will tell.

The question remains whether these safeguards will be enough to ease concerns – or if the Starlink debate will only confirm that in Lebanon, even the Internet is a deeply political affair.