Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) granted SpaceX approval and licensure to operate its Starlink satellite internet services in the country, according to News of Bahrain.
The country is the first in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to grant SpaceX a license for Starlink.
TRA General Director Philip Marnick said that Bahrain is an ideal place for the service, being a communications hub with an open market.
In a statement, Marnick said, “We are pleased that Starlink chose Bahrain as the first market in the Gulf to seek licenses for its services. This will ensure that consumers and businesses in the Kingdom continue to have access to the most advanced communications capabilities and services.”
JSX to Become First Air Carrier to Use SpaceX Starlink for Inflight Wi-Fi https://t.co/Lpgy9CFjjB
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) April 21, 2022
Starlink is expected to help maintain the Kingdom’s position as a leader in telecommunications markets, with SpaceX now able to offer internet to Bahrain consumers and surrounding areas.
In related news, Ukraine announced on Wednesday SpaceX Starlink now has a registered representative office in the country, according to government official Mykhailo Fedorov.
Representative office of @SpaceXStarlink is registered in Ukraine! Thank you, @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/iFQP9TXUXi
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) April 27, 2022
You can see a map of SpaceX’s Starlink internet availability on its website, and it also shows where the service is currently waitlisted.
During Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, SpaceX donated around 5,000 Starlink dishes, after making the service available to the country in early weeks of the war.
SpaceX’s Elon Musk said the Starlink service in Ukraine had resisted all hacking and jamming attempts from Russian forces.
