Starlink Launches in Yemen Amid Houthi Threats and High Costs, Boosting Internet Access for Some Freelancers and Students

In Yemen's coastal city of Mukalla, Starlink satellite internet is enabling entrepreneurs, freelancers and students to maintain reliable connections at spaces like the Mukalla Creative Hub, where four devices deliver speeds of 100 to 150 Mbps. A man in a black T-shirt leans over a desk to help a colleague with his project, while other men remain fixed on their laptop screens.

Nearby, women sit in ergonomic office chairs, writing or scrolling on their phones, as a sleek cafe-style counter stands at the entrance and colourful armchairs are neatly arranged among rows of computers.

"Four Starlink devices power the space, delivering speeds of 100 to 150 Mbps and allowing users to stay constantly connected," said Hamzah Bakhdar, a digital freelancer who works at the Mukalla Creative Hub. Al Jazeera reported that this access is crucial in a country where Houthi rebels, based in Sanaa, have fought the internationally recognised government since 2014 and control major internet providers.

The rebels block websites they view as linked to their opponents inside and outside Yemen.

The internationally recognised government signed an agreement with SpaceX for Starlink in September 2024, making it the only low-orbit satellite internet service legally available in Yemen. Starlink kits cost about $500, a significant barrier in a nation where more than 80 percent of people live below the poverty line.

"People are using vouchers because they cannot afford Starlink devices, whose prices are very high," said Mariam, a student at Hadramout University who preferred to be identified only by her first name.

Houthis have launched a campaign warning people against using Starlink and threaten legal action against anyone found in possession of the devices. Despite these threats, the service has spread to remote areas, benefiting users like Omer Banabelah, a mobile app developer whose home village in Hadramout’s countryside previously had no phone or internet access.

Banabelah can now reply to client messages from anywhere, avoiding the isolation he faced before Starlink.

Mohammed Helmi, a video editor and motion graphics designer juggling projects for clients in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United States, relies on the fast connections at the hub. "In the past, when I downloaded files to my laptop, it would stop as soon as my data ran out.

I had to buy another gigabyte and start the download all over again," said Helmi, a young man with a thin moustache, speaking at the cafe.

In Taiz, Raja al-Dubae, a school director, has seen her institution expand online education through Starlink. Her school began offering online classes based on the Yemeni curriculum to students living abroad in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and China in 2023, starting with 50 students. Teachers initially connected through local networks, but faced frequent disruptions.

"Teachers were often disconnected from their students, and by the time the internet stabilised, the next class had already begun, leaving them frustrated and unable to finish their lessons," said al-Dubae. Since installing Starlink, the number of students has climbed to more than 200. "With Starlink, the internet is very fast and reaches every corner of the school," she said.