Overview
- Tech advocates and activists report SpaceX has waived Starlink subscription fees in Iran, reactivating previously inactive terminals, while the company has not issued a formal announcement.
- Iran’s nationwide shutdown that began on January 8 has left most users cut off, with network monitors recording a roughly 98–99 percent collapse in traffic and only limited, whitelisted access inside the country.
- Rights groups and observers say the crackdown has killed large numbers of protesters, with reports ranging from hundreds to the low thousands, and the blackout has hindered independent verification.
- Authorities are conducting searches and seizing illicit satellite kits, and new laws make possession and use of Starlink a serious offense carrying harsh penalties, according to digital rights groups.
- Experts and monitoring groups report aggressive electronic warfare, including GPS and uplink jamming—some accounts attribute gear to Russian suppliers—with disruption estimates in some reports as high as 80 percent of terminals.