WASHINGTON, Jan 16, 2026, 12:27 (EST)
- Iran’s internet blackout is pushing protesters and rights groups toward Starlink as one of the few remaining ways to get online.
- Activists and specialists say Iran is deploying jammers and “GPS spoofing” to disrupt satellite connections.
- France is weighing whether Eutelsat’s OneWeb terminals could offer an alternative channel into Iran.
Iran’s push to choke communications during a violent crackdown is colliding with Elon Musk’s Starlink, after SpaceX made the satellite internet service free for Iranians this week and terminals already inside the country kept some links alive.
The timing matters because Tehran has largely shut down the internet during protests, leaving activists and rights groups scrambling for any route to send images and accounts outside the country. Starlink’s dishes, though banned, have become one of the few workarounds.
For SpaceX, the Iran test lands at a sensitive moment. Starlink is a major driver of its business, it supports U.S. military users through Starlink and the military-grade Starshield, and China is building satellite constellations meant to compete in the years ahead.
Iran can flip the switch fast because most domestic traffic runs through a government-controlled choke point, said Alp Toker, director of the internet watchdog NetBlocks, describing an automated “kill switch.” (euronews)
Starlink is also becoming a tool for documenting the crackdown. Raha Bahreini, an Iran researcher at Amnesty International, said the group had verified dozens of videos from Iran and believed most came from people who had Starlink access.
“We’re in this weird early part of the history of space-delivered communications where SpaceX is the only true provider at this scale,” said John Plumb, a former Pentagon space policy chief. Nariman Gharib, an Iranian opposition activist and cyber-espionage investigator in Britain, said Iran appears to be using GPS spoofing — broadcasting fake positioning signals — and that “you might be able to send text messages, but forget about video calls.” (Reuters)
Starlink runs a low-Earth-orbit constellation, meaning thousands of satellites circle relatively close to the planet and hand connections from one to the next as they race overhead. That setup makes it harder to block than fibre lines or cellphone towers, but radio jammers can still degrade signals and slow speeds.
Starlink is not licensed to operate in Iran, and lawmakers passed a law last year banning use of the system and setting tough penalties for users and distributors, according to Iranian state media. Activists and researchers say tens of thousands of terminals may have been smuggled in, but it is unclear how many are operating.
Iran has also tried to push the issue through U.N.-linked telecom channels, arguing Starlink’s use inside the country is illegal, according to people familiar with the matter. The Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York declined to comment when asked.
In Europe, France is exploring whether it can transfer Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told lawmakers. Satellite adviser Carlos Placido said OneWeb’s terminals are bulkier and easier to jam, while “the sheer scale of the Starlink constellation makes jamming more challenging, though certainly not impossible.” (Reuters)
Some researchers warn the stakes go beyond connectivity. “The great thing about it is there’s no wire for the government to cut,” said Jonathan McDowell, a satellite expert at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, while internet policy researcher Farzaneh Badiei said shutdowns often coincide with heavier violence because abuses cannot be streamed. Ahmad Ahmadian, executive director of the nonprofit Holistic Resilience, estimated about 50,000 Starlink units are in Iran and warned about dependence on a private operator: “I’m always concerned that this technology depends on the whims of one individual.” (Boisestatepublicradio)
Iran has also tried to jam Starlink’s signals and seize terminals in a departure from past shutdowns, according to reporting that cited Iranian state media and rights advocates. “We never saw Iran trying to jam Starlink. That was not the case at all. Now they’re doing it,” said Amir Rashidi, director of internet security and digital rights at the nonprofit Miaan Group. (Al Jazeera)
But Starlink is not a cure-all. Iran’s countermeasures could improve, users risk arrest if a dish is found, and free service could prove temporary if SpaceX faces legal pressure or fresh constraints. Even short outages can strand people who rely on the connection to call relatives or upload evidence.
For now, a system built for rural broadband is sitting in the middle of a political crisis, with engineers and protesters on one side of the link and electronic warfare units on the other.
