Starlink satellite communications terminals are reportedly smuggled into Iran to circumvent internet restrictions.
Following the death last month of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman in police custody, protests have spread across the country. Authorities responded by shutting down the website across the country in an attempt to quell the unrest.
Since then, with wonderful fanfare, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has announced that he will activate Starlink in Iran, and the U. S. government will be able to activate Starlink. The U. S. will facilitate export controls on communications accordingly.
The service allows users to access a constellation of thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit ground receivers, providing download speeds of up to 350 Mbps and, thanks to the satellites’ low altitude, latency between 20 and 40 ms.
However, it’s never going to be simple. With the ban on foreign banking transactions in Iran, Iranians would not be able to buy the terminals needed to access the service.
Now, however, there are reports of Starlink terminals being smuggled into the country. Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace shared a video on Twitter that he says shows devices in his country.
“They already have dozens of terminals to Iran and intend to expand,” he said.
“These efforts are still very nascent, but they have evidence that the devices are working and say they are taking extra precautions for the dangers to users. Videos have also started coming out of Starlink terminals being used inside the country. “
Meanwhile, the former director of NASA, Firouz Naderi, says that about thirty Starlink terminals are already active in Iran, after having gone through several groups.
“As proof, it’s a smart first step and others will follow,” he says.
However, there are big problems, adding the $599 charge of a terminal. Starlink terminals not only require access to satellites, but must also be a few hundred kilometers from a floor station, which is not in Iran. They will only operate around the perimeter of the country where terminals from neighboring countries, such as Turkey, Azerbaijan or Iraq, are accessible.
Meanwhile, there is the problem of keeping the devices secret from the authorities. Although they are fairly easy to hide visually, they convey and obtain by their nature, so it is easy to find them with the right equipment.
Musk’s efforts to supply the Starlink service in Ukraine have been relatively successful, largely thanks to the enthusiasm of the Ukrainian government. More than $80 million worth of kits have already been supplied, and another $20 million is expected to be successful in the country. until the end of the year.
SpaceX is now believed to be in talks with the US. The U. S. government is expected to invest more.