Iranians tapping Musk’s Starlink to skirt regime’s internet blackout

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

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The 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 the authorities there, three people using Starlink in the country told Reuters.

One of them, in Western Iran, said he knew dozens of people using Starlink and that users in border towns and cities were largely unaffected.

Mr Alp Toker, founder of internet monitoring group NetBlocks, said 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 said.