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. As many as 100,000 Starlink dishes could have since been smuggled into the country, in defiance of Iranian law, which has banned the technology.
The satellite internet access has helped Iranian protestors organize and upload images and videos to social media. But it now appears Iran has successfully disrupted at least some Starlink access, likely by interfering with radio signals. That’s raising speculation that the country purchased military jamming equipment from Russia, which has also found ways to disrupt Starlink signals in Ukraine.
“So obviously there is some sort of strong jamming,” Rashidi told Kentik. “I don’t think this is the normal jamming. It’s very much reminds me what happened in Ukraine. It looks like this is [electronic] warfare. This is not a normal kind of blockage.”
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Still, others say the jamming has diminished. A group dedicated to promoting Starlink access in Iran claims that “the interference and Packet Loss status in Tehran has significantly improved, reducing from about 35% to nearly 10%.”
“The interference issue is an ongoing game of cat and mouse; therefore, conditions may change again or even worsen. Nevertheless, we will not stop our efforts,” the group NasNet tweeted. NasNet even claims to have worked with SpaceX on overcoming the jamming issues. SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The signal jamming occurs after Iran imposed an internet blackout last week that brought web traffic down to zero. The country has resorted to the drastic measures, along with violent military crackdowns, to stop widespread anti-government protests.
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In response, President Trump says he’s considering asking SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to help restore internet access in Iran. Although the satellite internet system requires using a hardware dish for access, SpaceX has also developed a cellular Starlink service, which can beam connectivity to certain phones, although the data speeds are far slower.
The signal jamming, along with the Iranian government’s military crackdown, might prove to be a hurdle to any expansion of Starlink. Apparent user messages from Iran have said the military has been trying to confiscate Starlink dishes. It also isn’t the first time Iranian users have reported Starlink access problems in the country. But there are signs that signal jamming is confined to the capital of Tehran, rather than the whole country.
About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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