Editor’s Note: Leonardo Jacopo Maria Mazzucco is a specialist on maritime operations in the Persian Gulf and nearby waters who closely follows the defense industries of the GCC states.

By Barbara Slavin, Distinguished Fellow, Middle East Perspectives Project

Since launching in late 2020, SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service has grown quickly worldwide, including a recent expansion in the Arabian Peninsula. Although most Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries boast high internet penetration rates, a combination of factors has prompted them to seek cost-effective alternatives to traditional fiber-optic networks.

This includes the expanding role of digital and tech sectors in their economic diversification strategies, the desire to build redundancy into conventional internet solutions, and growing ambitions to expand internet access to remote areas for tourism, offshore energy extraction, and civil and commercial transportation.

The global internet infrastructure is heavily reliant on submarine fiber-optic cables, which account for approximately 99 percent of all transoceanic digital communications. An unseen highway linking Europe, Africa, and Asia, the ocean floors off the Arabian Peninsula’s coasts represent a vital transit node for transcontinental data traffic. While the Gulf region’s centrality in the global submarine cables network has benefitted the GCC countries, it has also exposed them to the underlying risks of a highly interconnected and interdependent infrastructure.

Underwater cables are susceptible to disruptions from gray-zone warfare, accidental human activities, or natural disasters. A paradigmatic example highlighting this vulnerability is the severing of data cables in the Red Sea caused by the MV Rubymar bulk carrier’s dragging anchor.Struck by a Houthi missile on February 18, 2024, the vessel sank six days later, damaging four of about 20 data cables lying on the seabed. The Hong Kong-based telecoms company HGC Global Communications, one of the cable owners, estimated that this incident affected 25 percent of Asia-Europe internet traffic.

While commercial satellite internet has existed since the 1990s, it has only achieved commercial competitiveness, traffic speed, and accessibility in the last six years, thanks to recent technological advancements in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations. Unlike land and sea-based solutions that rely on mobile towers or cables, satellite-based internet provides coverage in remote regions with minimal ground infrastructure.

With nearly 7,600 satellites in service and plans to launch 35,000 more, Starlink is among the strongest players in the industry globally. Besides high-speed, low-latency internet services, the company’s main strength lies in Starlink terminals, which are comparatively cheap and easy to install.

Oman was the first GCC country to access Starlink’s connectivity services for both residential and business customers. On March 27, 2025, the Texas-based telecommunications company announced that its satellite-based internet services had become accessible throughout the Sultanate. Bahrain followed suit, with Starlink becoming available in mid-May 2025. Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority had licensed a SpaceX subsidiary to provide internet services as early as April 2022.

Starlink is also present in Qatar, where it provides service plans for businesses. In May 2024, Qatar Airways announced a deal to provide high-speed inflight Wi-Fi service, the first Gulf carrier to roll out Starlink’s technology across its fleet. As of April 2025, Qatar Airways had nearly completed installations on its Boeing 777 fleet and was commencing on Airbus A350 aircraft.

Although Starlink internet services are not yet available in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the latter was the first in the GCC to leverage the benefits of internet constellation technology for the maritime industry. In January 2023, Starlink and the Dubai-based maritime technology company Elcome partnered to integrate satellite-based internet into the maritime sector, including commercial vessels, oil and gas rigs, and luxury yachts. More recently, in May 2025, the UAE’s interest in Starlink expanded to the aviation sector, with Emirates Airways exploring a partnership with Elon Musk’s company to enhance in-flight Wi-Fi services.

Beyond commercial applications, the Emirates has utilized Starlink technology in humanitarian operations, most notably in the Gaza Strip. In February 2024, the UAE announced it was partnering with various organizations and medical institutions to equip its field hospital in Rafah with Starlink satellite internet. Five months later, Musk confirmed the activation of Starlink in Gaza.

Amid widespread communication blackouts and power cuts caused by the ongoing conflict, Starlink connectivity has played a vital role in enabling real-time video consultations between Emirati medical teams on the ground and partner hospitals abroad. This deployment has facilitated urgent diagnostics, surgical guidance, and remote expertise in life-saving procedures, underscoring the strategic value of satellite internet in humanitarian response and disaster medicine.

Despite vast desert areas and Starlink’s multiple applications for key sectors in the Saudi economy, Saudi Arabia has only recently finalized a business deal with the U.S. telecommunications provider. On May 13, during the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh, Musk announced that his company’s satellite-based internet services were approved for the maritime and aviation industries. Notably, Starlink’s CEO was part of the top-level U.S. business delegation that joined President Donald Trump on a four-day Gulf tour.

Most recently, in mid-July, reports indicated that Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, was in talks with Saudi companies to lease data center capacity in the country. The move aligns with the government’s growing ambitions to establish a trailblazing domestic computing infrastructure.

Yemen, a non-GCC member, was the first country in the Arabian Peninsula to gain access to Starlink, with satellite internet becoming available in September 2024. While the Houthis opposed its distribution and vowed to combat its use in areas under their control, the Internationally Recognized Government based in Aden praised Starlink’s rollout, perceiving it as a tool to undermine the Iran-backed insurgent group’s hold over communication services.

While Starlink promises global coverage and rapid connectivity, which are vital to humanitarian efforts and economic development in conflict-affected or underserved regions, it also raises concerns about digital national sovereignty, competitiveness, and regulatory oversight.

Contrary to traditional land-based internet networks, which are generally owned and operated at the national level, Starlink maintains full control over its constellation of satellites, making access to its internet services subject to its owner’s desires. Musk’s refusal to have Starlink support a Ukrainian surprise attack in Crimea in September 2022 illustrated the vulnerability of national digital infrastructure to private interests. That is why GCC countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are also investing heavily in homegrown tech capabilities and alternative satellite ventures.

However, with Starlink’s upcoming Gen 3 satellites expected to deliver fiber-grade internet while significantly reducing deployment and maintenance costs, Musk’s company is emerging as a serious threat to local telecom providers. As a result, most GCC countries, while welcoming Starlink, have restricted its use to specific sectors, such as aviation and maritime shipping.

In a region where information control is politically sensitive, Starlink’s capacity to circumvent government restrictions could also pose a security threat to state-imposed limitations on internet access. However, as evidenced by the company’s operations in Iran and Turkey, Starlink has demonstrated a pragmatic approach, cooperating with local authorities to obtain licenses to market its internet services rather than challenging existing regulations.

Despite these concerns, satellite-based internet is set to transform the telecommunications industry, and GCC countries, eager to leverage digital and tech-driven initiatives for post-oil economic growth, are determined not to be left behind. The main obstacle to Starlink’s business expansion in the region now appears to originate in Washington rather than  Gulf capitals. The recent spat between President Trump and Musk could undermine Starlink’s position in the GCC by raising political risk concerns.

According to this analyst’s report, if the rift escalates, Musk’s personal brand, closely tied to Starlink, could risk reputational damage in GCC markets, which value discretion and continuity in foreign partnerships. Gulf governments may interpret the clash as a sign of instability, prompting them to exercise more caution before expanding commercial engagement with Musk-linked ventures to avoid jeopardizing relations with Trump.

While viable alternative partners exist in the satellite and tech sectors, Musk retains a distinct competitive edge in terms of technological innovation and speed of deployment. The interest of GCC governments extends beyond Starlink to the broader portfolio of Musk’s enterprises, including Neuralink and the Boring Company, whose advancements align with the region’s long-term ambitions in AI and advanced mobility. Therefore, for Gulf capitals focused on strategic diversification and technological leadership, the calculus is not one of substitution, but of timing and risk management.

Leonardo Jacopo Maria Mazzucco is an independent research analyst who focuses on the security and defense affairs of the Persian Gulf region. He is also an analyst at Gulf State Analytics, a Washington-based geopolitical risk consultancy. Leonardo tweets at @mazz_Leonardo.