Satellite-based internet, such as Starlink, can bypass local networks and restore connectivity.
President Donald Trump said he will talk to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk about using SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet to bring back online access to Iran after authorities shut down access because of protests.
Trump said Starlink has strong technical skills that could reconnect people to the internet. The U.S. is exploring options such as satellite internet that operate outside Iran’s telecom networks.
Iranian officials have shut down internet access in many areas around the country due to the ongoing protests. NetBlocks stated that connectivity levels across Iran have dropped to nearly zero and have remained low.
Without the internet, people can’t get the latest news about what’s happening in their cities or other parts of the country. Workers also can’t use cloud services for work, students lose access to online learning tools, and families can’t send or receive money through digital payment systems.
Journalists, engineers, and monitoring groups also can’t track outages, verify reports, or confirm the scale of violence in the country.
Iran relies on a centralized internet infrastructure, where fiber-optic cables, mobile phone towers, and local data centers all require government permission to function. Officials can use this authority to demand that service providers shut down their operations and restrict internet access nationwide.
People are now seeking alternative solutions, such as satellite-based networks, because they don’t rely on local towers, cables, or service providers. Authorities don’t have much control since the networks connect users directly to satellites in space, rather than routing data through government-controlled infrastructure.
Satellite internet has helped keep communication open when local networks failed during previous shutdowns in other countries.
The crisis in Iran has moved into the digital world as those affected try to share their experiences, and observers outside want to follow the events. Access to information now significantly impacts how events unfold and how the world perceives them.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he will talk to Elon Musk about bringing the internet back to Iran through Starlink. Trump said Musk is “very good at that kind of thing” because his company has great technical skills and a lot of experience building complex systems.
Starlink connects users directly to satellites orbiting the Earth, rather than relying on local service providers. The President said they could use Starlink terminals to bypass networks controlled by Iranian authorities.
Trump said he wants regular people in the country to be able to read news, communicate with family, and know what’s happening around them because the country is in a state of fear and unrest.
However, any plan to restore internet access to Iran still requires careful review within the U.S. government, as the Middle Eastern country is subject to U.S. sanctions for trade and technology transfers. Companies can’t provide any services or hardware to such countries without special approvals or legal exemptions.
Iran is also strongly against internet support from foreigners, as the leaders of Tehran don’t want any “intruder” to have control over their communication tools.
Iranian officials have long warned their citizens against using unauthorized satellite equipment and have even gone so far as to block or jam satellite signals. The country’s history demonstrates the challenges involved in establishing such services and hardware, as well as the type of resistance Starlink can expect.
The world is closely watching Iran, particularly the efforts by the U.S., as similar plans in other regions have also created diplomatic tensions. Restoring internet access in Iran could also alter how the world perceives events within the country and influence how key groups respond to the crisis.
The plan by Trump to speak with Musk shows just how much their relationship has changed, as the duo have been in an on-and-off political “situationship” for a long time. Musk supported Trump’s political campaigns and stood by him during key political moments, but that relationship broke when Elon opposed the president’s tax policy.
There are new signs that their relationship is warming up again because they met in person and shared a dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
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