Iranians Use Musk’s Starlink to Bypass Internet Blackout Amid Protest Crackdown
Some Iranians are continuing to access the internet through Starlink, the satellite-based network operated by Elon Musk, despite a near-total nationwide communications blackout imposed by authorities, according to people inside the country.
Iranian officials have in recent days launched a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests, accompanied by widespread internet shutdowns affecting fiber-optic and mobile networks. However, Starlink—which delivers connectivity directly from thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites—remains operational in some parts of Iran, despite being officially banned.
Three Starlink users inside Iran told Reuters that the service was still functioning in certain locations. One user in western Iran said dozens of people in his area were using Starlink and that access in border towns and cities appeared largely unaffected.
Alp Toker, founder of internet monitoring group NetBlocks, said he had also received reports of continued Starlink access, though at reduced levels. “It is patchy, but still there,” he said. According to NetBlocks data, the broader internet blackout that began on January 8 continued on Monday, with non-satellite connectivity operating at roughly 1% of normal levels.
It remains unclear how Iranian authorities are attempting to disrupt Starlink’s service. Some specialists said any interference could involve jamming Starlink terminals by overpowering their ability to receive satellite signals. SpaceX, which owns Starlink, did not respond to requests for comment. Iranian authorities were also unreachable due to phone and internet outages.
CRITICAL TOOL AMID GLOBAL CONFLICTS
Starlink’s role in Iran highlights the growing influence of Musk’s satellite internet network in global conflicts and political unrest. The service has been a critical communications tool for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and has also been used in countries such as Myanmar and Sudan, where authorities have repeatedly imposed internet shutdowns.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he plans to speak with Musk about restoring internet access in Iran, without explicitly referencing Starlink.
Musk previously shipped free Starlink terminals to Ukraine and offered complimentary service there. By contrast, standard Starlink terminals typically cost about $599, plus a monthly subscription fee, putting them out of reach for many Iranians.
Starlink is not licensed to operate in Iran, but Musk has previously said the service is active there. In December 2022, he wrote on his social media platform X that the company was “approaching 100 Starlinks active in Iran,” a small number relative to the country’s population of roughly 92 million. In June last year, responding to calls for Starlink access to Iran, Musk posted simply: “beams are on.”
Following a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June, Iran’s parliament passed legislation formally banning Starlink and imposing severe penalties for using or distributing the unlicensed technology, according to state media. Despite those restrictions, the continued use of Starlink underscores how satellite internet has become a powerful, if uneven, tool for bypassing state-imposed information controls.
