Starlink access in Iran ‘patchy, but still there,’ says head of internet monitoring group

Some Iranians are still using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service despite a nationwide communications blackout, three people inside the country say, the latest example of Starlink being used to counter internet shutdowns in geopolitical flashpoints.

Iranian authorities have in recent days launched a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests, including the near-complete shutdown of internet service, which is provided through fiber-optic cables and cellphone towers.

But Starlink, which beams its service directly from thousands of low-earth orbit satellites, is still working in some places in Iran, despite being banned by authorities there, three people using Starlink in the country tell Reuters. One of them, in western Iran, says he knows dozens of people using Starlink and that users in border towns and cities are largely unaffected.

Alp Toker, founder of internet monitoring group NetBlocks, says he has heard from people in the region that there is still some Starlink access in Iran, though service appears reduced.

“It is patchy, but still there,” he says.

While it’s not clear how Starlink’s service was being disrupted in Iran, some specialists say it could be the result of jamming of Starlink terminals that would overpower their ability to receive signals from the satellites.