His operations are taking place against the backdrop of the longest-running nationwide internet shutdown in history. The current blackout, which began following US and Israeli airstrikes on February 28, follows a previous shutdown imposed in January during a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, more than 6,500 protesters were killed and 53,000 arrested during that earlier period of unrest. Connectivity inside Iran has hovered at approximately 1% of pre-war levels, leaving most citizens with little more than access to state-controlled domestic networks and state media.
Starlink terminals have emerged as a critical workaround for those seeking to bypass the shutdown. By connecting directly to a network of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites owned by SpaceX, the devices allow users to circumvent Iran’s heavily controlled terrestrial infrastructure. However, the technology is not immune to state countermeasures. Iranian authorities have deployed a coordinated strategy to degrade the service, including radio-frequency jamming and GPS spoofing, which has resulted in packet loss rates between 30% and 80%. These technical vulnerabilities are inherent to the design of LEO systems, which must orbit low to achieve low latency, making their signals more predictable and easier to disrupt than those of geostationary satellites.
The Iranian government has also criminalized the possession and use of the technology. Legislation passed last year mandates prison sentences of up to two years for buying, selling, or using Starlink devices, with penalties rising to 10 years for distributing or importing more than 10 units. State-affiliated media has reported multiple arrests, including four individuals detained last month for “importing satellite internet equipment,” some of whom faced additional charges of possessing illegal weapons and sending information to the enemy. Despite these risks, a black market for the terminals persists, facilitated in part by public Persian-language Telegram channels. The economic burden of access has become severe; kits that previously sold for around $1,000 on the black market are now reportedly available for more than $5,000, while unstable virtual private network access can cost users up to 1 million tomans per gigabyte.
The human rights organization Witness estimated in January that at least 50,000 Starlink terminals were already in circulation within Iran, a number activists believe has likely risen since. For some, the terminals serve as a lifeline for business and family communication. For others, they are the primary means of documenting human rights violations and transmitting news to the outside world during the blackout. The government’s response highlights a shift in digital sovereignty tactics, where the state leverages existing legal and spectrum management authorities to assert control over both terrestrial and satellite infrastructure.
While a ceasefire between the US and Iran has been agreed upon, an Iranian government spokesperson has stated that internet restrictions will remain in place under wartime conditions. For Sahand and the broader network of smugglers, the work continues. They are actively seeking new methods to transport more devices into the country, driven by the belief that maintaining a channel for independent information flow remains essential, even as the technical and legal barriers to accessing it continue to escalate.
