By Supantha Mukherjee, Cassell Bryan-Low and Parisa Hafezi
Jan 12 (Reuters) – Some Iranians are still using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service despite nationwide communications blackouts, three people in Iran said, the latest example of Starlink being used to counter internet shutdowns in geopolitical hot spots.
Iranian authorities have launched a deadly crackdown on protests across the country in recent days, including a near-total shutdown of internet service via fiber optic cables and cellphone towers.
But three people who use Starlink in Iran told Reuters that Starlink, which launches services directly from thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites, is still operating in some parts of Iran despite being banned by Iranian authorities. One of the people, who is from western Iran, said he knew dozens of people using Starlink and that users in border towns were largely unaffected.
Alp Toker, founder of Internet monitoring group NetBlocks, said he had heard from people in the region that Iran still had some Starlink connections, although service appeared to be reduced.
“It’s incomplete, but it’s still there,” he said.
Toker added that Iran’s broader internet blackout, which began on January 8 and continued into Monday, had non-satellite connectivity in the country at around 1% of normal levels, according to fixed and mobile internet data tracked by NetBlocks.
While it’s unclear how Iran’s Starlink service was disrupted, some experts said it could be due to interference with Starlink terminals, disrupting their ability to receive satellite signals.
Starlink, owned by private U.S. company SpaceX, did not respond to a request for comment. Iranian authorities could not be reached Monday due to phone and internet outages. Iranian authorities blame the unrest on terrorists and vow to uphold the system of governance.
A key tool in global conflicts
The communications lifeline Starlink has provided to some protesters in Iran is the latest sign of the impact that Musk and his satellite internet service are having on conflict and unrest around the world.
Starlink has been an important tool for the Ukrainian military since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. In Myanmar, where the military junta has repeatedly forced internet shutdowns, rebel groups, aid groups and medical personnel have all used Starlink to communicate. In Sudan, Starlink was also used by both sides during the years-long civil war due to long-term power outages.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he planned to discuss restoring Iran’s internet with Musk, but did not mention Starlink.
Musk has previously shipped Starlink terminals, slightly larger than laptops, to Ukraine for free and provided free Internet service there. A standard Starlink terminal costs about $599, plus monthly service fees, making it out of reach for many Iranians.
Musk shut down Starlink after Ukraine regained territory from Russia in 2022, Reuters previously reported, demonstrating Musk’s ability to tip the balance of global conflicts.
Starlink is not licensed to operate in Iran, but Musk has previously said the service is active there. In December 2022, he posted on social media platform
Last June, in response to a post on X calling on him to provide a Starlink link to Iran, Musk posted “Beams on.”
Following a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, Iran’s parliament passed a law formally banning the use of Starlink and imposing severe penalties on those who use or spread the unlicensed technology, according to Iranian state media.
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee, Cassell Bryan-Low and Parisa Hafezi; Additional reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Joe Brock and Bill Berkrot)