Tehran: Iranian security authorities have shut down 40,000 terminals for Elon Musk's Starlink, which enables satellite access to the internet, the state broadcaster reported on Tuesday. It remains unclear whether the devices were confiscated or deactivated, and the information cannot be independently verified.
According to Ghana News Agency, for days, the government has described the latest mass protests against its authoritarian policies as being directed from abroad and now appears to have partly blamed Starlink. Iran's leadership has accused its arch-enemies, Israel and the US, of engaging in 'terrorist activities.'
Starlink is a network of thousands of satellites, requiring users to have a special antenna with a router function to connect to the internet. This system is banned in Iran, but approximately 50,000 terminals are believed to have entered the country through smuggling routes, according to estimates.
Users in Iran who are caught using these devices face years in prison. The antennas require a clear view of the sky, and their signals can be located by authorities. As a result, the Iranian population has been largely cut off from the internet since January 8.