A wide segment of the residents of Aleppo is suffering from slow landline internet services, alongside weak networks from cellular companies, prompting some of them to search for alternatives, especially after the fall of the Syrian regime on December 8, 2024.

Many users hastened to look for ways to install satellite internet, noting that it had been present in the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo years ago when they were under the control of opposition factions before 2016, while it was completely banned in areas controlled by the previous regime.

The legal situation for installing these devices remained ambiguous until Atif al-Deiri, in charge of managing the Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority, announced that possessing and acquiring Starlink devices would subject their owners to legal accountability.

Al-Deiri added that distributing internet by purchasing a satellite internet station for distribution is prohibited, and it is considered a violation of the regulations of the Communications and Postal Authority.

He mentioned that the use of this service may be evaluated in some exceptional cases, particularly in remote areas or areas facing difficulty in accessing traditional internet services, and the use of Starlink or Outdoor Wi-Fi may be permitted based on actual need, with the necessity of coordinating with the relevant authorities to obtain the appropriate license.

Varied prices

In light of this situation, obtaining Starlink devices in Aleppo was not easy, but users seeking fast internet found ways to acquire devices from other provinces; however, this opened the door to price discrepancies between different sources.

Ahmad al-Sheikh, who owns an internet service center in al-Bab, north of Aleppo, told Enab Baladi that he charges $1,000 (10 million Syrian pounds) to deliver the device to Aleppo, in addition to a monthly subscription of $100 and a $25 installation fee.

This option provides a speed of up to 200 Mbps for unlimited data, with the possibility of connecting an unlimited number of computers and mobile phones simultaneously, according to him.

Al-Sheikh explained that a tax is imposed on the device, payable after one or two months due to operating the device in Syria, one of the countries that remains on the blacklist.

On the other hand, Mahmoud al-Khatib, an electronics dealer in Damascus, said that his price is $830, but it only includes the device without installation or package activation.

Enab Baladi also found a different price at Qasem Abdullah’s shop, who ships devices from the town of Azaz in the Aleppo countryside, where he said that the price of the device with installation and activation reaches $1,350, with a speed of 250 Mbps, while the price for the unlimited monthly package is $75 according to him.

Abdullah noted that his shop covers any future tax imposed on the device if purchased from him. The price at another shop in Daraa is $900, but it does not include installation and activation; however, it includes shipping the device to Aleppo, indicating a potential future tax that could reach $200.

On January 20, Minister of Communications and Technology in the Damascus interim government, Hussein al-Masri, stated that the current state of telecommunications in Syria does not satisfy the Syrian citizen nor is it compatible with modern technologies.

He noted that internet services in Syria are provided via ADSL technology, which relies on over 20-year-old copper network infrastructure that needs restoration or replacement to provide internet at good speeds compatible with modern progress.

Al-Masri added that the ministry had issued a directive necessitating licensing for telecommunications and internet service providers to regulate the telecommunications sector and its service delivery mechanisms and to prevent the re-establishment of companies associated with the previous Syrian regime.