Starlink Satellite Internet Goes Free in Iran, Empowering Protesters
Activists in Iran have received a significant boost in their ability to communicate with the outside world. SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service has reportedly dropped its fees, allowing more people to circumvent the Tehran government's extensive efforts to block information from leaving the country. This development comes as protests continue across Iran, driven by economic struggles and currency collapse.
Breaking Through the Blackout
On January 8, Iranian authorities completely shut down telecommunications and internet access for the nation's 85 million people. This move aimed to contain growing demonstrations. However, activists told The Associated Press that Starlink has been available for free to anyone in Iran with the necessary receivers since Tuesday. SpaceX has not officially announced this decision and did not respond to requests for comment.
"Starlink has been crucial," said Mehdi Yahyanejad, an Iranian activist based in Los Angeles. His nonprofit, Net Freedom Pioneers, has helped smuggle Starlink units into Iran. He pointed to a video that emerged on Sunday, showing rows of bodies at a forensic medical center near Tehran. "That showed a few hundred bodies on the ground, that came out because of Starlink," Yahyanejad explained. "I think those videos from the center pretty much changed everyone's understanding of what's happening because they saw it with their own eyes."
High Stakes and Smuggled Technology
Starlink remains banned in Iran under telecommunication regulations. The country has never authorized the import, sale, or use of these devices. Activists face severe risks, including accusations of espionage for helping the U.S. or Israel, which can carry the death penalty. Despite this, an estimated 50,000 units have been smuggled into Iran since 2022, initially during protests over mandatory headscarf laws.
Ahmad Ahmadian, executive director of Holistic Resilience, detailed the challenges. His Los Angeles-based organization helped get some of the first Starlink units into Iran. Users take extreme precautions, employing virtual private networks to hide IP addresses and disguising antennas as solar panels to avoid detection. Starlink requires a clear line of sight to satellites, making deployment in open areas necessary but risky.
Government Countermeasures and Cat-and-Mouse Game
Iranian security services have adopted "extreme tactics" to jam Starlink's radio signals and GPS systems, especially after communication shutdowns during a 12-day war with Israel in June proved ineffective. Ahmadian noted that after his group reported these issues to SpaceX, the company pushed a firmware update to circumvent the new countermeasures.
"There has always been a cat-and-mouse game," said Ahmadian, who fled Iran in 2012 after imprisonment for student activism. "The government is using every tool in its toolbox." Security services also rely on informers, monitor internet traffic for signs of Starlink use, and have reportedly raided apartments with satellite dishes. However, jamming attempts have only been effective in certain urban areas, suggesting limited resources for broader blocking.
Impact on Information Flow
The death toll from protests that began on December 28 has risen to over 2,500 people, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. This includes primarily protesters but also security personnel. Compared to 2019 protests, where government measures stifled information for over a week, Starlink's proliferation has made complete communication blackouts impossible.
"This time around they really shut it down, even fixed landlines were not working," Ahmadian said. "But despite this, the information was coming out and it also shows how distributed this community of Starlink users is in the country." With the service now free, the flow of information could increase further.
Global Context and Future Concerns
Elon Musk's SpaceX has made Starlink free during natural disasters, and Ukraine has heavily relied on it since Russia's 2022 invasion. Initially funded by SpaceX, it later received U.S. government contracts. Musk has raised concerns about the power of such a system being in one person's hands, notably after refusing to extend Ukraine's Starlink coverage for a counterattack in Crimea.
As a proponent of Starlink for Iran, Ahmadian called the Crimea decision a wake-up call but doubted similar action in Iran. "Looking at the political Elon, I think he would have more interest ... in a free Iran as a new market," he speculated.
Julia Voo, head of the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Cyber Power and Future Conflict Program in Singapore, warned of risks. Relying on one company creates a "single point of failure," though no comparable alternatives exist currently. China is exploring ways to destroy Starlink satellites, and Voo noted that as Starlink proves effective at penetrating government blackouts, more states will observe and potentially broaden communication controls.
"It's just going to result in more efforts to broaden controls over various ways of communication, for those in Iran and everywhere else watching," she concluded.
