In Lebanon, Starlink’s arrival has been promised, postponed, and promised again. The Ministry of Telecommunications has yet to offer a clear roadmap for when, or how, the satellite internet service will actually launch. 
Then, in the first week of June 2026, an ad appeared offering Lebanese customers something that sounded a lot more concrete: pre-orders for Starlink subscriptions through a local internet provider called Lebanon Net.
The advertisement was not an isolated development. Lebanon Net, a company that had appeared with little public notice, quickly became the subject of questions over the legal basis for marketing Starlink in Lebanon, and more significantly, for accepting pre-orders for residential subscriptions. 
At the time, there had been no official announcement confirming that Starlink had been authorized or made available to individual customers, either through personal or residential plans.
Then, almost as quickly as it had appeared, Lebanon Net disappeared from public view.
Promotional advertisement for Starlink subscriptions through Lebanon Net
While the company claimed it was accepting pre-order requests from both individuals and institutions, questions remain about the nature of the licenses on which it relies and how it obtained the right to market the service before the official regulatory framework governing Starlink’s rollout in Lebanon has been finalized.
Who Owns Lebanon Net?
According to a commercial registry extract obtained by SMEX through the Gherbal Initiative, the company is owned by an individual named Haidar Ahmad Haidar Ahmad. It was created only about a month earlier, with no other partners listed, raising additional suspicions about its legality.
SMEX contacted Haidar Ahmad to inquire about the company’s licensing process with the Ministry of Telecommunications or the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). He declined to answer, stating only that the company considers itself to have legitimate rights to the project and that it will disclose all details regarding its licenses and legal status once negotiations and the necessary procedures have been completed.
Commercial registry extract of Lebanon Net
Through its legal counsel, the company also stated that “all personal information and data collected from customers for the purpose of providing Starlink internet devices and services constitute confidential and private information, which is stored on secure systems and servers dedicated to the company, in accordance with the highest recognized security and protection standards.”
The company further asserted that it is “a Lebanese company duly registered under the applicable Lebanese laws and operates in the field of internet services and telecommunications technologies related to the Starlink service within the applicable legal and regulatory framework.” 
Lebanon Net emphasized that it is wholly owned by Lebanese people, is neither affiliated with nor connected to any foreign entity, and remains committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of its customers’ information, disclosing it only where required by law.
The Lebanese government has previously issued a decree expanding the scope of Starlink’s license during a session held on 5 March 2026, with the decree subsequently published in the Official Gazette. 
The decision cited “exceptional circumstances” as its basis and amended Decision No. 5, issued on 11 September 2025, concerning the licensing of Starlink Lebanon. 
The amendment broadened the categories of entities eligible to benefit from the service while simultaneously relaxing certain security safeguards that had previously required security agencies to have access to the oversight infrastructure.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Distances Itself
In its response to SMEX’s questions, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) confirmed that to date, Starlink has not announced granting any license or authorization to Lebanon Net to market its services in Lebanon.
The TRA said that under the current regulatory framework and the published licensing conditions, no individual or entity is permitted to sell, market, distribute, activate, install, or provide Starlink services or equipment in Lebanon unless it has been officially appointed by Starlink, while also complying with all applicable Lebanese laws, regulations, and regulatory decisions, particularly Cabinet Decree No. 572/2025 and TRA Decision No. 4/2026. 
The Authority also stressed that Starlink has not yet been commercially launched in Lebanon, and that the necessary regulatory and technical procedures are still underway.
It added that no local entity is currently authorized to provide Starlink services to individuals, as individual and residential subscriptions are not permitted under the existing regulatory framework. Moreover, TRA Decision No. 4/2026 does not include individual or residential use among the categories eligible to benefit from the service.
In response to SMEX’s question about whether the TRA or the Ministry of Telecommunications had taken any action against Lebanon Net, or requested that it cease its activities or advertising campaign, the Authority said it was not authorized to respond on behalf of the Ministry of Telecommunications, and advised SMEX to direct the question to the Ministry. It did, however, confirm that its own investigation into the matter is still ongoing.
The Ministry of Telecommunications also declined to answer SMEX’s questions regarding recent developments related to Starlink. This silence raises further questions, particularly given that the Ministry had been among the strongest proponents of introducing the service to Lebanon. 
To date, it has provided no official clarification as to whether it has granted any licenses or approvals to private companies to market or sell Starlink services.
Will Starlink Services Be Offered Through Alfa?
A number of companies in Lebanon had previously received a commercial offer bearing the logos of both the Ministry of Telecommunications and Alfa, marking the first official and detailed disclosure of the proposed framework for marketing Starlink services in the Lebanese market. 
The offer outlines subscription terms, available packages, pricing, contractual conditions, and the requirements for accessing the service. In this regard, the TRA stated that the process of appointing Alfa as an official distributor is still pending the completion of the necessary regulatory approvals, alongside the evaluation of additional distributors. 
Any official appointments, it said, will be announced once the process has been finalized.
The offer includes two primary packages: one with 500 GB of data and another with 1 TB, both available through either monthly payments or annual prepayment.
Pricing starts at USD 165 per month for the 500 GB package and reaches USD 277 per month for the 1 TB package, with limited discounts available for annual prepayment. The offer also requires customers to purchase the Starlink Kit for USD 550 as an upfront payment, in addition to committing to a 12-month contract that includes significant penalties for early termination. 
Customers may also purchase additional 500 GB data bundles for USD 140 once their primary allowance has been exhausted. Alfa likewise declined to respond to SMEX’s questions regarding the announcement of the service.
SMEX has repeatedly warned in previous reports of the risks posed to digital sovereignty, particularly concerning personal data and the storage of such data outside Lebanon. These concerns intensified following an investigation published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which revealed that two Israeli companies had developed tools capable of tracking certain Starlink users, identifying their locations, and revealing their identities.
These risks extend beyond individual users to include public institutions, embassies, organizations, and other sensitive entities in Lebanon. All of them could become targets for surveillance and monitoring, raising numerous questions about the security and sovereignty implications associated with using the service.
Starlink in Lebanon remains shrouded in uncertainty: from the initial licensing process to the confusing rollout of the service and the continued lack of clarity over who is actually authorized to provide it.
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