Elon Musk: Starlink has been approved in Saudi Arabia

Elon Musk attends a “coffee ceremony” with visiting U.S. President Donald Trump at the Saudi Royal Court on May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Credit: Getty Images)

Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia has approved the use of his satellite internet service Starlink for aviation and maritime sectors.

“I’d also like to thank the kingdom for approving Starlink for maritime and aviation use,” Musk said during the Saudi-US Investment Forum, which coincided with a White House-led visit to the Kingdom.

Starlink, operated by Musk’s aerospace firm SpaceX, has been pushing for broader international expansion, recently offering its hardware for free outside the US to attract new users. The service aims to provide high-speed connectivity, particularly in underserved and mobile areas, and Saudi Arabia’s transport and logistics sectors are likely to be key beneficiaries.

Musk, who also heads Tesla, used the occasion to float his wider ambitions for the region, signalling interest in introducing Tesla’s self-driving cars to the Kingdom. While no launch date was revealed, he said the move could bring cutting-edge autonomous technology to Saudi roads.

“I think it would be very exciting to have autonomous vehicles here in the kingdom, indeed, if you’re amenable,” he said.

He also revealed that he had shown several of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots to both President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Tesla has pitched its robots and self-driving vehicles as the foundation for its future profitability, although its Optimus model is still under development and faces stiff competition in the robotics space.

The high-profile event on Tuesday brought together Trump and a delegation of US tech executives focused on artificial intelligence, semiconductors and defence, further deepening cooperation between the US and Saudi Arabia on emerging technologies.