Iran experienced an almost total communications blackout last week. Authorities cut off both internet and mobile networks nationwide. Online banking systems froze, digital payments failed, shopping platforms went offline, and even basic text messaging stopped functioning. As demonstrations spread across the country, reliable information became extremely difficult to obtain.

Despite this near-total shutdown, a loose but determined coalition of activists, software developers, and engineers managed to break through Iran’s digital isolation. By relying on thousands of Starlink satellite internet terminals that had been quietly brought into the country over time, they regained online access and shared videos and images showing security forces firing into crowds and families searching for missing loved ones.

According to digital rights researchers and civil society groups, this unexpected online activity forced Iranian authorities to react. The government reportedly deployed advanced electronic warfare tools designed to interfere with GPS signals, which are essential for Starlink terminals to operate. Activists noted that such military-grade jamming technology is usually seen in active conflict zones, such as Ukraine, rather than in civilian settings.

The vulnerabilities revealed in Iran’s internet blackout were the result of long-term preparation, not chance. Since 2022, activists and nonprofit organizations have worked steadily to move Starlink equipment into Iran. Their efforts were supported by a U.S. government sanctions exemption that allows Starlink and other American companies to provide digital communication tools to Iranians. Digital activists estimate that around 50,000 Starlink terminals are now operating inside Iran, despite a law passed last year that explicitly bans the systems and prohibits unlicensed communication services.

“You can’t improvise something like this at the last minute,” said Fereidoon Bashar, executive director of ASL19, a digital rights organization focused on Iran. “This kind of resilience only exists because of years of coordination and planning among many different groups.”

The emergence of these hidden Starlink networks, along with the government’s aggressive attempts to shut them down, highlights a broader global trend: nationwide internet blackouts are becoming increasingly difficult to enforce. For years, governments in countries such as India, Myanmar, and Uganda have used internet shutdowns as a tool to suppress dissent. However, the growing availability of satellite-based internet has complicated these efforts, creating an ongoing technological cat-and-mouse game between authorities and citizens.

Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX, delivers internet connectivity directly from satellites to ground-based terminals, bypassing traditional fiber-optic cables and mobile towers. Because it does not rely on local infrastructure, it is largely immune to conventional censorship methods. This capability has made Starlink especially significant during Iran’s protests, allowing demonstrators to organize, communicate, and share information with the outside world.

Even so, Starlink access remains limited to a small portion of the population. Reports about the protests, which activists estimate have resulted in roughly 3,000 deaths, are still incomplete. For most Iranians, internet access remains tightly controlled. Although some domestic platforms have gradually come back online, authorities appear to be carefully restricting communication features. Researchers say video game platforms have removed chat functions, while e-commerce websites have disabled internal messaging, allowing economic activity to continue while limiting the flow of information between users.

“This is the harshest internet shutdown we’ve ever seen,” said Ahmad Ahmadian, an activist living in exile who played a role in bringing Starlink equipment into Iran. “For many people, Starlink is the only connection left. It’s literally a lifeline.”

The growing dependence on Starlink also underscores Elon Musk’s expanding geopolitical influence. This week, Musk announced that all Starlink services in Iran would be provided free of charge. Former President Donald Trump has also publicly emphasized the strategic importance of satellite internet technology in recent statements.

A spokesperson for SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment.

In most cases around the world, governments enforce internet shutdowns by ordering local service providers to cut access. Some countries use more selective methods, filtering specific types of traffic or blocking certain platforms. According to the digital rights organization Access Now, 296 internet shutdowns occurred across 54 countries in 2024, the highest number ever recorded.

Iran has long been known for its use of internet blackouts, operating one of the most advanced censorship systems globally, second only to China in sophistication. The government maintains a state-controlled network known as the National Information Network, which is largely isolated from the global internet. While access to international websites is tightly restricted, approved domestic services such as banking, transportation, shopping, and entertainment typically function smoothly within this closed system.

When authorities decide to intervene, they often cut off global internet access in specific regions while keeping essential domestic services online. Despite these controls, many Iranians have historically used virtual private networks, or VPNs, to access platforms like Instagram and other international services.

That changed dramatically on January 8, when protests intensified nationwide. Officials responded by shutting down internet access almost entirely, plunging the country’s 90 million residents into a digital blackout. VPNs stopped working, and internet traffic dropped by 99 percent, according to monitoring group NetBlocks.

“The government panicked,” said Amir Rashidi, a cybersecurity specialist with the digital rights organization Miaan.

Activists who had anticipated such a scenario moved quickly. After similar shutdowns during violent protests in 2022, civil society groups had already begun planning how to maintain connectivity during future crises. Their solution was to bring in satellite internet terminals from neighboring countries.

The U.S. State Department worked with SpaceX to implement sanctions exemptions for digital communication tools intended for use in Iran. According to a Biden administration official involved in the process, the government also provided guidance to civil society groups on how to conceal the equipment to reduce the risk of detection.

“Activating Starlink,” Musk wrote online that year, referring specifically to Iran.

Ahmadian, now executive director of the Los Angeles–based organization Holistic Resilience, said he helped coordinate the delivery of some of the earliest Starlink terminals into Iran. “We powered it on, and it worked perfectly,” he recalled.

Buoyed by that success, he helped expand a broader smuggling network. Vendors connected through Telegram channels and other platforms, selling Starlink units and arranging transport routes through the United Arab Emirates, Iraqi Kurdistan, Armenia, and Afghanistan.

Before the most recent protests, smuggling a single Starlink terminal into Iran typically cost between $700 and $800. A thriving black market emerged, largely serving wealthier Iranians eager to access Instagram, YouTube, and other blocked platforms.

Today, the estimated 50,000 Starlink terminals inside Iran are hidden on rooftops and in carefully chosen locations. Engineers have developed software that allows one terminal to share its connection with multiple users, effectively turning a single unit into a hub that serves a wider area.

Iranian authorities were aware of Starlink’s growing footprint but initially took limited action, according to Doug Madory, an expert in internet infrastructure. That changed during the latest unrest.

Electronic jamming efforts succeeded in disrupting Starlink service in certain locations, but researchers say the sheer number and wide distribution of terminals make a complete shutdown nearly impossible. An Israeli intelligence official noted that Iranian forces appeared to concentrate their jamming efforts near major universities, aiming to cut students off from online communication.

Activists reported that drones were deployed to search for Starlink equipment. Authorities also attempted to intimidate users by publicly displaying confiscated terminals and issuing warnings that possession of Starlink devices constitutes a criminal offense.

“The use of satellite internet in Iran is a real-world test case for electronic warfare in civilian life,” said Thomas Withington, a military communications expert at the Royal United Services Institute. “Satellite communications were once almost exclusively military assets. That reality is changing fast.”

While many activists credit Starlink with keeping vital information flowing, some remain uneasy about relying so heavily on a service controlled by a single individual. They worry that Musk could one day decide to disable access. In countries with authoritarian governments where Musk has business interests, such as China, Starlink services are not available.

For now, however, satellite internet remains one of the few tools capable of breaking through Iran’s digital barriers, reshaping how governments and citizens confront control, censorship, and connectivity in the modern era.