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Lebanon In Talks With Elon Musk’s Starlink To Enhance Internet Services
The government has initiated discussions to bring satellite internet to the country, aiming to boost connectivity and attract international investment.
Lebanon’s government has entered formal discussions with Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider, Starlink, to explore bringing the high-speed service to the country. The talks were confirmed on Thursday following a meeting between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Starlink’s Director of Licensing and Development Sam Turner, and U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson, according to a statement shared via Musk’s social platform X.
President Joseph Aoun also met separately with Turner, receiving updates from Telecoms Minister Charles Hage about the ongoing negotiations with SpaceX, Starlink’s famous parent company. The introduction of Starlink would position Lebanon among the 136 countries globally benefiting from the company’s satellite-driven connectivity, enhancing internet services across various sectors.
Minister Hage emphasized the potential for Starlink’s presence in Lebanon to transform the country into a regional communications hub, stating this could significantly boost the nation’s attractiveness to global businesses and investors. Starlink’s services, known for their reliability and speed, promise substantial improvements to connectivity in critical areas such as banking, industry, education, and government operations, according to the Lebanese presidency.
Lebanon’s telecom infrastructure has faced persistent challenges, plagued by outdated technologies, high costs, and systemic issues linked to years of economic turmoil and mismanagement. Starlink’s entry could provide a much-needed upgrade, delivering faster and more dependable internet at a time when mobile data plans in Lebanon are among the most expensive in the world.
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Previous efforts to bring Starlink to Lebanon stalled under former Telecoms Minister Johnny Corm, who cited security concerns and commercial disagreements as significant hurdles. Specifically, negotiations encountered legal and technical barriers relating to data storage and privacy. SpaceX initially requested data servers to be based in Qatar or Germany, a demand incompatible with Lebanon’s personal data protection laws (Law No. 81).
If current talks overcome these challenges, the successful integration of Starlink’s satellite internet could mark a pivotal shift in Lebanon’s digital landscape, opening new avenues for economic recovery, innovation, and global investment.
News
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
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