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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.

Published

11 months ago

September 12, 2025

Nour Nasir

lebanon approves starlink license to provide internet nationwide

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.

Related Topics:Internet Lebanon Starlink

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Samsung’s Fold Goes Wide, And The Whole Galaxy Range Gets Pricier

A new titanium build and a first-of-its-kind AI chip for wearables anchor the range, yet native Qi2 charging still isn’t part of the deal.

Published

3 days ago

July 23, 2026

Dana Saadeh

Samsung

Samsung has run its Galaxy foldable and smartwatch reveals in July for several years now, which is likely a deliberate way of jumping early on the autumn hardware calendar. The 2026 event stuck to the same timings, though prices climbed too, albeit unevenly: $100 on the Flip, a new $2,100 Ultra tier above last year’s flagship, and $30 to $50 on the watches.

At the top sits the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra at $2,100, a slab that measures just 4.1mm open and carries a 200MP main sensor, a 5,000mAh battery and an 8-inch interior display. Beneath it, the $1,900 Galaxy Z Fold 8 makes the more interesting bet. Samsung has stepped away from the tall, narrow shape it spent recent generations refining: the Fold 8 folds horizontally, so it’s wider than it is tall, with a 4:3 interior screen that sits about 9mm wider than the Ultra when closed. It drops the telephoto lens but gains battery, at 4,800mAh.

The clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 8 rounds out the phones at $1,200, up from the Flip 7’s $1,100, which was itself up from the $1,000 Flip 5.

All three devices run the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy and share a new Flex Titanium construction, a titanium alloy layer set beneath the flexible OLED that Samsung says strengthens display support, absorbs impact and reduces crease visibility. The progress has limits: none of the phones support Qi2 charging natively, 18 months after the Qi2-ready Galaxy S25. That means buyers will still need a magnetic case to get the most from a Qi2 charger.

The wearables move in the same upward direction. The Galaxy Watch 9 ($380 Bluetooth, $430 LTE) and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 ($700) both run Qualcomm’s 3nm Snapdragon Wear Elite, the first wearable chip with a dedicated Hexagon NPU capable of supporting AI models with two billion parameters. The Ultra 2 is 12 percent thinner than its predecessor despite an 800mAh battery and a display reaching 5,000 nits.

Also Read: Dubai Police Finishes 65 Projects, Says AI Is The Next Priority

Pre-orders open today. The devices are set to reach shelves on August 7.