Iran has reportedly disrupted at least some Starlink access in Tehran, raising speculation that the country purchased military jamming equipment from Russia.
As Iranians turn to Starlink for internet access, the country’s government has reportedly started jamming signals to the satellite internet system in efforts to stop people from communicating amid widespread protests.
Amir Rashidi, a cybersecurity and policy expert for an Iranian digital rights group, reported the Starlink jamming, citing anecdotal reports from his friends in the country. Normally, Starlink can easily bypass censorship attempts since the technology uses orbiting satellites to connect. But lately, Rashidi’s friends have encountered frequent packet loss, which disrupts the data from transmitting to their Starlink dishes.
“Some of them are telling me they are seeing 30% packet loss. Some of them they’re telling me they’re seeing 80% packet loss on a Starlink,” Rashidi told network infrastructure intelligence provider Kentik.
The disruptions stand out because Starlink has been available in Iran since 2022 after the US government allowed SpaceX to offer the satellite internet service in the country.
