Elon Musk told the audience at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum that Saudi Arabia has approved Starlink for aviation and maritime use.
Starlink is a satellite internet service operated by Starlink Services, LLC, an international telecommunications provider that is a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S.-based aerospace company SpaceX.
During the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, Musk also showed Tesla Optimus robots to President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He spoke about plans for robots and a utopian future in space.
“We just showed several of our Tesla Optimus robots to His Highness and President Trump, and I think they were very impressed. In fact, one of our robots did the Trump dance, which I thought was pretty cool,” he said.
Musk added, “We are headed to a radically different world. I think a good world, an interesting world … I think everyone will want to have their personal robot. You can think of future cars as being robots on four wheels, and I think it will be very exciting to have autonomous vehicles here in the Kingdom if you’re amenable … and I would also like to thank the Kingdom for approving Starlink for maritime and aviation use.”
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In addition to launching in Saudi Arabia, Elon Musk’s Starlink has expanded its regional presence, recently announcing that it has become available in Jordan. Jordan joins Oman, Qatar and Yemen on the list of countries in the Middle East where the company’s service is available.
Starlink’s website says Kuwait and Bahrain are expected to have its internet service this year. The company’s service map says availability in Saudi Arabia and the UAE is “pending regulatory approval”. However, a document posted to the UAE’s Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority website shows that Starlink was granted a regulatory licence in 2024, specified for “maritime satellite internet services” that will last for about 10 years.
