Although new customers are not being taken on, Elon Musk’s Starlink is now providing satellite internet in the UAE – and more providers could join it in the marketplace.As reported in The National, Starlink has been given a decade-long licence by UAE regulators, providing an alternative to fibre internet services from du or e&.Customers in the emirates who signed up to Starlink have reported receiving the company’s hardware in recent days and are hoping to begin using the services shortly.Andrea Faggiano, a partner at the Arthur D Little consultancy in Dubai, said he expected satellite internet services would likely take 10 to 15 per cent of the overall internet market, although it could be higher.“I would say in 15 years, the satellite technology will be massive – 15 per cent. That may even be a conservative number,” he said. “It’s definitely a serious competitor.”Reports from earlier this month quoting Starlink indicate that the company had 12 million satellite internet customers globally in the second quarter of this year, double the number of a year earlier.Market research companies such as Grand View Research have highlighted challenges to deployment, including high initial deployment costs and delays in signal.Despite such hurdles, Grand View Research states that the global satellite internet market, currently valued at around $13.3 billion a year, is likely to grow to $3...
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