It’s amazing that so many Starlink systems have made their way into Iran, where it’s illegal to use or possess. If Iranians had set up their own mesh networks where they could bridge out to a Starlink system not jammed, they could still have connectivity outside the country. You’d have to think some more technically proficient people have done so. You could also ferry SD cards out to people with a Starlink terminal that isn’t jammed as well, and how we see some of the coverage.
By Zak Doffman,
Updated on Jan. 13 with new reports into Starlink restrictions and users being hunted down by the Iranian authorities, as well as Musk’s offer of free connectivity.
We have not seen this before. Iran’s digital blackout has now deployed military jammers, reportedly supplied by Russia, to shut down access to Starlink Internet. This is a game-changer for the Plan-B connectivity frequently used by protesters and anti-regime activists when ordinary access to the internet is stopped..
“Despite reports that tens of thousands of Starlink units are operating inside Iran,” says Iran Wire, “the blackout has also reached satellite connections.” It is reported that about 30 per cent of Starlink’s uplink and downlink traffic was (initially) disrupted,” quickly rising “to more than 80 per cent” within hours.
The Times of Israel says “the deployment of (Starlink) receivers is now far greater in Iran” than during previous blackouts. “That’s despite the government never authorizing Starlink to function, making the service illegal to possess and use.”ForbesIran ‘Hijacks’ WhatsApp Accounts To Spy On ‘Individuals Abroad’By Zak Doffman
But Starlink receivers use GPS to locate and enable connections to satellites. “Since its 12-day war with Israel last June,” The Times says, “Iran has been disrupting GPS signals.” That means shutdowns are localized, and has resulted in a patchwork quilt of Starlink connectivity, including near blackouts in some high-profile areas.
The localized Starlink Internet block has been confirmed by NetBlocks. Speaking to The Times on Monday, the monitoring group’s Alp Toker confirmed that access is being jammed, albeit coverage could still be found in some areas. “It is patchy, but still there.”
“While it’s not clear how Starlink’s service was being disrupted in Iran,” The Times says, “some specialists say it could be the result of jamming of Starlink terminals that would overpower their ability to receive signals from the satellites.”
Some commentators on social media have suggested a settings change may overcome some of the restrictions. Per Open Source Intel on X, “if you are in contact with anyone in Iran using Starlink, ask them to try enabling the ‘use Starlink positioning exclusively’ option under Advanced and then Debug Data in the Starlink app.”
Multiple posts on social media also suggest Russian military technology imported into Iran over recent months may be responsible for jamming GPS and other bearers. Channel 4 News describes Russia’s activities as a “technological race with Starlink,” which it says “is known to deploy trucks which deploy radio noise to disrupt satellite signals.” As yet there is no confirmation as to which technologies are deployed.
But the Miaan Group’s Amir Rashidi told TechRadar “I have been monitoring and researching access to the internet for the past 20 years, and I have never seen such a thing in my life.” Analyzing the sudden drop in Starlink data packets supports reports on the ground that satellite connectivity has been heavily affected.
Simon Migliano, who has just compiled a comprehensive report into recent internet shutdowns, told me “Iran’s current nationwide blackout is a blunt instrument intended to crush dissent,” and this comes at a stark cost to the country, underpinning the regime’s desperation. “This ‘kill switch’ approach comes at a staggering price, draining $1.56 million from Iran’s economy every single hour the internet is down.”
According to NetBlocks on Monday P.M., “Iran has now been offline for 96 hours, limiting reporting and accountability over civilian deaths as Iranians protest and demand change; fixed-line internet, mobile data and calls are disabled, while other communication means are also increasingly being targeted.” The monitoring group has reported that connectivity across Iran has now been reduced by as much as 99%.
“Iranian authorities have proven they are prepared to weaponize connectivity, even at a tremendous domestic cost,” Migliano says. “We are looking at losses already exceeding $130 million. If the 2019 shutdown is any indicator, the regime could maintain this digital siege for days, prioritizing control over their own economic stability.”
“Iran jams Starlink, protesters’ lifeline,” The Washington Post said Tuesday P.M. “Trump, Musk say that won’t stand.” According to The Post, “President Donald Trump has appealed to Elon Musk to help Iranian protesters circumvent a government-imposed internet blackout, underscoring the frontline role Musk’s satellite company Starlink is playing in U.S. foreign policy.”
Musk is reportedly briefed into Iran jamming Starlink, and he said to be “fully on board with efforts to restore connectivity in Iran and green-lighting his engineers to work on a solution.” What that might be to stop local receiver jamming remains to be seen.
Bloomberg, meanwhile, reports that Musk has now agreed to requests to offer “free Starlink in Iran as (the) internet blackout persists.” Clearly, the cost of the connectivity is not the primary issue at the moment. And unless the trickling levels of bandwidth can be restored to more normal levels in more parts of the country, it won’t become so.
Even if that connectivity is restored, Iran is now proving it will resort to more functional and less technical means to prevent video and other information being transmitted overseas. ““Iran is hunting down Starlink users to stop protest videos from going global,” The Wall Street Journal reports.
“Over the weekend, authorities began searching for and confiscating Starlink dishes in western Tehran,” The Journal says, citing Rashidi. “Video from the streets is one of the few ways of getting information out about the scale of the protests and the actions of Iranian authorities.” And right now, Starlink is still the best hope.
The Tuesday P.M. latest from NetBlocks is that “Iran has now been offline for 120 hours. Despite some phone calls now connecting, there is no secure way to communicate and the general public remain cut off from the outside world. What footage makes it through shows extensive use of force against civilians.”
I have reached out to Starlink for any response to the situation in Iran.