In Iran, a battle for digital freedom is being waged, with citizens turning to innovative solutions like Elon Musk's Starlink to bypass the government's tight grip on communication. But this isn't just about staying connected; it's about shedding light on a regime's dark tactics and ensuring the world sees the truth. 'Iran has always been a digital prison,' says Mr. Ahmadian, who fled the country after facing prison time for student activism. 'They (the regime) have been moving toward making Iran another North Korea.'
The Iranian government's recent internet and phone shutdown during deadly anti-regime protests is a stark example of this control. Human Rights Watch has accused the regime of using this tactic to 'conceal widespread atrocities.' When traditional communications were cut off, a hidden network of Starlink terminals emerged as a crucial lifeline, allowing Iranians to show the outside world what was happening on the ground. Videos of troops firing at protesters, bodies lying in the streets, and grieving families searching for loved ones were shown to the world, when traditional communications were cut off.
But how does Starlink work? According to Mr. Ahmadian, Starlink uses around 9,000 satellites orbiting the Earth that beam internet for Starlink terminals to connect to. 'If you are using circumvention tools like VPNs and encrypted messaging, you still rely on government infrastructure, with Starlink you bypass the firewall entirely,' he said. 'What makes it different is you can use it almost anywhere on Earth, whether you are on the ocean, the North Pole or the middle of nowhere — if you have a clear view of the sky you can connect to Starlink and have fast speed internet.'
Starlink has been used in Australia during bushfires and floods and in rural and remote areas with limited connectivity. In Iran, Tehran's Chamber of E-Commerce estimated there were around 100,000 Starlink users in Iran, a country of roughly 90 million people. Human rights organisation Witness estimates the number of active terminals was likely to be at least 50,000. The technology is illegal in Iran, with devices smuggled into the country and often hidden on rooftops, sometimes disguised as solar panels.
But as the protests gained momentum inside Iran, it wasn't long before Starlink itself came under attack. Iranian authorities deployed military-grade technology designed to jam the GPS signals Starlink relies on. 'It's hard for the regime to physically find your Starlink dish,' Smithsonian Observatory astronomer Johnathan McDowell told the ABC. 'So what they can do instead is jam the system by setting up powerful radio transmitters that blast noise at the same frequency Starlink uses, drowning out the signal.' Some human rights groups believe Iran has received the GPS jamming technology from Russia, using it from vans in urban areas. Mr. Ahmadian, who has helped smuggle the terminals into Iran, said the equipment used by the regime is similar to that deployed on the front line in Ukraine.
'Most likely they have obtained this technology from Russia. The Iranian government have had a close relationship with Russia especially on the Ukraine war, where they have sent their own kamikaze drones for Russia to use,' Mr. Ahmadian said. 'From the very beginning of the war, we saw Russia go after Starlink devices in Ukraine and try to jam the service making it ineffective.' Last week, SpaceX owner Elon Musk said all Starlink services in Iran would be free to use. Starlink's dominance is overwhelming, but rival satellite networks are emerging. 'In years to come this will be less of an issue, but right now Space X has such a huge lead over other companies that it is almost a monopoly,' Mr. McDowell said. 'Governments and militaries around the world are starting to realise they need this technology, but they need to be in control of it, not Elon Musk, who has threatened to switch it off when he has gotten unhappy with Ukraine.'
