News
Lebanon Approves Starlink License To Provide Internet Nationwide
The government has finally granted Starlink a license to operate nationwide for business users, with packages starting at $100 a month.
Lebanon has granted Starlink a license to provide services across the country, ending months of negotiations between the government and Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider.
Tony Saad, spokesperson for Telecommunications Minister Charles Hage, confirmed that Starlink established a local entity to secure the license. The service will be limited to companies rather than individuals, with packages starting at $100 per month.
Talks began in early 2025 after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with Sam Turner, Starlink’s Global Director of Licensing and Development. Turner argued satellite connectivity could support sectors including industry, banking, education and government services.
The presidency later disclosed that Aoun spoke directly with Musk by phone, extending an invitation to visit Beirut. Musk reportedly expressed interest in Lebanon’s telecom market and said he would consider travelling when timing allowed. Aoun’s office said the government was prepared to provide the necessary facilitation under the country’s legal and regulatory framework.
Also Read: Ooredoo And Qatar Airways Partner To Build National AI Hub
Lebanon has struggled for years with some of the slowest and most expensive internet in the region. High mobile data costs, underinvestment and mismanagement have left infrastructure fragile and businesses reliant on patchy connections. Officials hope Starlink’s entry will give companies more reliable access, though consumer availability remains uncertain.
The license marks a rare step forward for a sector still weakened by corruption and debt.
News
At I/O 2026, Sundar Pichai Concedes AI Must Deliver Real Value
Gemini 3.5, a personal agent called Spark, agentic shopping, and Android XR eyewear are all aimed at making AI feel useful, not just impressive.
Google’s annual I/O developer conference (I/O 2026) has recently become a status update on the same question: can the company turn its AI spending into products people use every day? This year, chief executive Sundar Pichai described Google as being in a phase of hyper progress, while conceding this is the part of the cycle where people want to see real value in the products they use on a day-to-day basis.
The strategy on display was to push agents — AI systems that act on a user’s behalf — into nearly every Google product at once. Search now has an “intelligent search box” that returns generated explainer videos alongside links. Gmail, Docs, YouTube and Maps are gaining their own agent layers, including a Docs Live feature that turns spoken instructions into drafted text with citations.
Two new models, Gemini 3.5 and a cheaper Gemini 3.5 Flash, arrived the same day. Google says 900 million people now use Gemini, and that more than 50 billion images have been generated with it. The pricing tier names are likely to confuse buyers: a new AI Ultra plan launches at $100 a month, while the older Gemini AI Ultra drops from $250 to $200.
The flashier announcements were Gemini Omni, a video generator pitched as a more realistic answer to OpenAI’s discontinued Sora 2, and Gemini Spark, a personal agent that handles recurring tasks across a user’s Google account. A new universal shopping cart lets agents complete purchases across multiple retailers from inside Google itself, placing the company between the merchant and the buyer, and also owning the checkout.
Also Read: DJI Teases Dual-Camera Osmo Pocket 4P For 2026 Launch
Google also confirmed its Android XR eyewear, built with Samsung and frames from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Audio-only glasses ship this autumn; a display-equipped version, which would superimpose live translations into the wearer’s field of view, is still in development. Both sets translate, however only the display version shows you the result.
What Pichai did not resolve is the bargain underneath all this. An agent is only useful to the degree it knows your calendar, your inbox, your shopping history and your physical surroundings. Google has now confirmed that, in time, the same context may carry advertising.
2026 Crypto Trends: Bitcoin, ETFs & The Future Of Payments
At I/O 2026, Sundar Pichai Concedes AI Must Deliver Real Value
DJI Teases Dual-Camera Osmo Pocket 4P For 2026 Launch
Lebanon Ministers Meet Visa Over National Digital Payment Platform
