After Lebanon, satellite internet is coming to Iraq as Starlink executives visit
Starlink, the US-based satellite internet provider, part of SpaceX that Elon Musk heads and mainly owns, has dispatched senior executives to Iraq as part of preparations to enter the Arab market.
Last Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani, welcomed the Starlink delegation in Baghdad. According to a statement from Al-Sudani’s media office, discussions focused on the final steps required to issue satellite internet licenses to SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company.
The statement added that both sides emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation in the communications sector, including the scope of services the company would offer and the areas it would cover.
A Starlink executive, quoted in the statement, said the company is prepared to launch operations and begin providing satellite internet services in Iraq within a short timeframe.
Starlink does not currently operate in Iraq, which has an estimated population of 46 million. However, discussions and expressions of interest in introducing the service have taken place, particularly as part of efforts to accelerate digital transformation and improve nationwide internet connectivity.
Operating in more than 125 countries, Starlink is expanding across the Middle East and North Africa, a region experiencing rapid growth in telecommunications services. Yet service availability remains very limited, aside from a few outliers, including Qatar, Jordan, and Oman, while profitable markets such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others remain pending approval.
In September, Lebanon granted Starlink an operating license as the country works to recover from a deep financial crisis. Yet Lebanon still appears as “coming soon” on the Starlink availability map.
Earlier this year, Starlink also held discussions with Morocco about launching a project in the Sahara. Local media reported that the initiative could inject new momentum into Morocco’s southern provinces by delivering high-speed, satellite-supported internet access.
