Elon Musk’s Starlink is reportedly offering free service to users in Iran, where a communications blackout is under way amid widespread antigovernment protests.The satellite communication service from SpaceX is one of the few ways that images and videos of the protests and the ensuing government crackdown have made their way out of Iran. Here’s what you need to know:Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listHow is Starlink being used in Iran?After Iran’s government cut off access to much of the internet on Thursday, Iranians have turned to proxy tools and Starlink’s constellation of low-orbit satellites to get online and share news of the protests with the outside world.Starlink does not have a licence to operate in Iran, but thousands of its terminals have been smuggled into Iran since 2022 when then-United States President Joe Biden authorised US tech companies to bypass sanctions and sell Iranians communication tools. That move coincided with mass protests that had broken out over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who was arrested for allegedly wearing the hijab improperly.More recently, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he wanted to see Starlink restore internet access to Iran and he would speak to Musk about the issue.Although neither Starlink nor Musk has publicly confirmed the news, a person familiar with Starlink services told Bloomberg that the company is offering free services to …
