Today's Edition
ALLAN JACOB (ABU DHABI)
UAE residents have been unable to subscribe or have been put on waiting lists for Starlink’s space-based broadband internet due to massive demand and inadequate capacity, Elon Musk’s company has confirmed.
Last weekend, the UAE granted a 10-year licence to Starlink to provide internet services in the country, but subscription requests have overwhelmed the provider, which clarified it is working on resolving current capacity challenges.
It is still unclear when UAE subscribers will be able to log the services but Starlink said its technicians are working on the issue. "Please note that we cannot provide an estimated timeframe for service availability,” said the provider in a statement.
“Our teams are working as quickly as possible to add more capacity to the constellation so we can continue to expand coverage for more customers around the world."
Under the General Space Services Licence, Starlink can set up, operate and manage its satellite communications network to provide broadband services to residential, business and government customers in the UAE.
It was earlier available for maritime services in the country. Emirates had also installed Starlink Wi-Fi on its superjumbo A380 aircraft in April 2026.
In the UAE, Starlink for residential customers will cost Dh300 per month. It comes with a 30-day trial period and unlimited date.
However, the router and other hardware will cost Dh1,465.
The space-based net provider also has a roaming (portable) package that starts at Dh190 per month for a 100GB, and Dh370/month for unlimited service.
