WASHINGTON, January 17, 2026, 10:28 (EST)
- SpaceX waived Starlink fees for Iranians this week as authorities restricted communications
- Activists and specialists say Iran is using jammers and GPS spoofing to disrupt terminals
- U.S. military users and investors are watching closely as SpaceX weighs a listing
Iran’s crackdown on dissent is turning into one of the hardest security tests yet for SpaceX’s Starlink after the company made the satellite internet service free for Iranians this week, according to activists, analysts and researchers. Starlink, which drove SpaceX’s $15 billion revenue in 2024, is facing attempts to jam signals and spoof GPS — fake location data that can knock terminals off target. (Reuters)
The moment matters because Starlink has moved from a consumer product into critical infrastructure in places where governments cut cables, throttle mobile networks or shut off the web outright. If Iran can reliably degrade the service, it won’t stay an Iran problem.
U.S. military and intelligence agencies use Starlink and its military-grade variant, Starshield. The performance in Iran is also landing in front of rivals, including China, at a time when SpaceX is weighing a public listing.
“SpaceX is the only true provider at this scale,” said John Plumb, a former Pentagon space policy chief. “A lot of actors are watching how Starlink fares here,” said Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation. “You might be able to send text messages, but forget about video calls,” said Nariman Gharib, an Iranian opposition activist and independent cyber-espionage investigator based in Britain. (The Straits Times)
With the internet curtailed, Starlink has become a key route for videos and images of violence to leave the country. An Amnesty International researcher said her team had verified dozens of clips and believed almost all came from people with access to Starlink.
Starlink runs through a web of satellites in low Earth orbit — a few hundred kilometres up — rather than a single large craft fixed over one spot. The fast-moving satellites make the network harder to choke than older systems, but the terminals still depend on clean radio links and accurate navigation data.
A U.S. nonprofit that has helped deliver Starlink gear says tens of thousands of terminals may have been smuggled into Iran, though it is unclear how many are in use. The user equipment is a flat dish, typically about the size of a pizza box, with a smaller “mobile” version closer to a laptop.
Iran has spent years trying to counter Starlink, which is not licensed to operate there, and has pushed the issue through international channels at the United Nations telecom agency. SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment, and Iran’s U.N. mission declined to comment in response to questions.
But Starlink’s edge is not guaranteed. If jamming intensifies or authorities locate terminals, users could lose access — or face penalties — and the service could degrade to basic messaging, blunting its value during a prolonged shutdown.
Competitors are watching the demand signal as well as the interference playbook. Eutelsat, which owns OneWeb, said on Friday it signed a multi-launch deal with France’s MaiaSpace starting in 2027 as Europe seeks to catch up with SpaceX in low Earth orbit. (Reuters)
Starlink’s spread into aviation has also dragged SpaceX into noisy disputes. Elon Musk this week called Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary an “utter idiot” after O’Leary ruled out installing Starlink on Ryanair aircraft, citing fuel costs from antenna drag. (Reuters)
SpaceX has been in the news on multiple fronts beyond satellites. A Crew Dragon capsule splashed down safely off California early Thursday with four astronauts after a medical issue forced their International Space Station mission to end weeks early, the first time NASA has cut short a crew rotation for a health emergency. (Reuters)
For now, the question in Iran is simple and unforgiving: can Starlink keep enough bandwidth alive for video and messaging as Tehran tightens controls and tests new countermeasures. In the short term, what breaks first — the jammers, the terminals, or the nerves — will shape how other governments plan their own shutdowns.
