On Friday, January 9th, according to the Middle-East Online, an online media outlet in the Middle East, Iranian citizens have been using the Starlink satellite internet service to bypass government censorship and restrictions by smuggling in terminals for the limited-time free service.
Reported by Israel’s Channel 14, sources revealed that during a nationwide internet shutdown in Iran, American billionaire Elon Musk quietly activated free Starlink networks for protesters, allowing ordinary Iranian citizens to stay connected online.
The sources disclosed that Musk pledged to keep the internet open and free during the ongoing protests in Iran and directed Starlink executives to prevent interference from the Iranian regime.
Israel’s newspaper, “Israel Hayom,” revealed that Almog Cohen, Deputy Minister in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, recently tasked American-Israeli venture capitalist Dovi Frances to inquire with Musk’s team if Starlink could operate within Iran during the widespread internet shutdown.
Iranian authorities have repeatedly shut down the internet domestically during periods of protests to limit organizing of activities and reduce the flow of information. On Thursday, January 8th, reports from NetBlocks and other monitoring organizations revealed a sharp decrease in internet connectivity in Tehran and other regions. As protest activities escalated, there was a widespread interruption in internet and phone services within Iran.
It is reported that Iran has protested against the Starlink project to international organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and has used jamming technology.
In some cases, the network connection provided by Starlink’s low Earth orbit satellites is more difficult for governments to control compared to traditional telecom networks. However, the use of Starlink typically requires ground terminals, and Iran has issued warnings and attempts to regulate them.
Frances confirmed that he received inquiries from Cohen but refused to disclose whether he had spoken with Musk.
On Friday, multiple online reports on social media indicated that users in Iran received domestic videos and messages via Starlink and expressed gratitude to Musk.
The Trump administration is closely monitoring the situation unfolding internally in Iran.
Despite sanctions and prohibitions, Musk has not directly provided Starlink hardware to certain regions, but he has activated the service multiple times to ensure network connectivity during crises. This has been viewed by some protesters and dissenters as a “lifeline.”