The clandestine network smuggling Starlink tech into Iran to beat internet blackout Reha KansaraBBC Global Disinformation UnitBBCSahand packs a Starlink terminal he is preparing to send to Iran"If even one extra person is able to access the internet, I think it's successful and it's worth it," says Sahand.The Iranian man is visibly anxious, speaking to the BBC outside Iran, as he carefully explains how he is part of a clandestine network smuggling satellite internet technology - which is illegal in Iran - into the country.Sahand, whose name we have changed, fears for family members and other contacts inside the country. "If I was identified by the Iranian regime, they might make those I'm in touch with in Iran pay the price," he says.For more than two months, Iran has been in digital darkness as the government maintains one of the longest-running national internet shutdowns ever recorded worldwide.The current blackout began after the US and Israel launched airstrikes on 28 February. Before that, internet access had been partially restored for just a month following a previous digital shutdown in January, imposed during a deadly regime crackdown on nationwide protests.
More than 6,500 protesters were killed and 53,000 arrested, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).Officials say the government shut down the internet during the war for security reasons, suggesting the aim is to prevent surveillance, espionage and cyber-attacks.AFP via ImagesWithout access to independent information sources, Iranians are reliant on media sources that are run by the regime or close to itThe Starlink devices Sahand sends to Iran are one of the most reliable ways of bypassing the shutdown. The white, flat terminals, paired with routers, provide internet access by connecting to a network of satellites owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX company, allowing users to completely bypass Iran's heavily controlled domestic internet.According to Sahand, several people can connect to each terminal at the same time.He says he and others in the network buy them and "smuggle them through the borders" in a "very complex operation", though he declines to give details.Sahand says he has sent a dozen to Iran since January and "we are actively looking for other ways to smuggle in more".The human rights organisation Witness estimated in January that there are at least 50,000 Starlink terminals in Iran. Activists say the number is likely to have risen.
The BBC contacted SpaceX for more details about the use of Starlink in the country but did not receive a response.Last year, the Iranian government passed legislation that made using, buying or selling Starlink devices punishable by up to two years in prison. The jail term for distributing or importing more than 10 devices can be up to 10 years.State-affiliated media has reported multiple cases of people being arrested for selling and buying Starlink terminals, including four people - two of them foreign nationals - arrested last month for "importing satellite internet equipment". It has also reported that some of the arrests include accusations of possessing illegal weapons and sending information to the enemy.SOPA Images/LightRocket via ImagesProtesters in London have joined calls for unrestricted internet access in IranHowever, a market for the terminals in Iran continues, including through a public Persian-language Telegram channel called NasNet.A volunteer involved with the channel from outside Iran told the BBC that approximately 5,000 Starlink terminals have been sold through it in the past two and a half years.Iran has a long history of controlling information, both by pushing its own anti-American and anti-Israeli narratives via state-run media and by restricting reporting about repressive measures used by the regime against its critics.Yet during the January protests, even with the internet shut down, reports and video evidence of extrajudicial killings, arrests and beatings trickled out.
Much of this information is known or believed by human rights organisations to have come from people accessing social media platforms via Starlink.Iran's current internet set-up has been described as a "tiered system".All Iranians have access to a state-controlled domestic network on which services such as banking, ride-hailing and food delivery operate, as well as state-run media.Before the blackouts, Iranians were also able to access the global internet. But many sites and services such as Instagram, Telegram, YouTube and WhatsApp were blocked, and the government set higher prices for access than for the domestic network.Many Iranians circumvented the restrictions by using virtual private networks (VPNs), which connect users to websites via remote servers, concealing their locations. Subscriptions for these also pushed up costs.Now, under the blackout, only a select few officials and other individuals, including journalists working for state media, have unfettered internet access using what are known as "white sim cards".Getty ImagesSatellites owned by SpaceX - carried here by a Falcon 9 rocket over California - are used to provide Starlink internetIn 2022, Musk said he was activating Starlink in Iran following severe internet disruptions during protests sparked by the death in custody of an Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini.Since then its use has grown, especially during shutdowns.Now, with the authorities increasingly on the hunt for Starlink terminals, Sahand and his network are advising users to use VPNs with the satellite technology in order to remain incognito.
But many people cannot afford it, particularly at a time of economic crisis.Sahand is one of three people the BBC has spoken to who say they are involved in smuggling Starlink devices.He says the operation he is involved with, including the purchase of the terminals, is funded by Iranians abroad and others who want to help those in the country.
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