Hundreds of Starlink consoles have been seized by Iranian authorities, according to Fars, Iran’s state-linked news agency.
Starlink, owned and operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is one of the world’s most popular low-Earth orbit satellite internet connectivity providers, available in more than 120 countries.
However, the devices are banned in Iran, which imposed an internet blackout on February 28 after the US and Israel launched strikes on the country.
In January, several media outlets reported that the US helped to smuggle thousands of Starlink consoles into Iran to make it easier for demonstrators to circumvent internet blackouts imposed by the ruling regime.
A Fars Telegram news channel first reported that Iranian authorities were seizing Starlink consoles.
“Hundreds of Starlink systems sent by the American-Zionist enemy were discovered across various parts of the country,” the Telegram message stated.
“It should be noted that according to the law, the procurement and use of unauthorised Starlink systems is a crime and during wartime it carries the harshest penalties for offenders,” the news alert continued, adding that the most severe penalties would be reserved for individuals using Starlink devices to “act on behalf of the enemy”.
Starlink operator SpaceX has not yet responded to The National’s requests for comment on the Fars report.
In recent years, several government regulatory bodies in the Middle East have approved the use of Starlink and other low-Earth-orbit internet service devices.
Most recently, Kuwait joined Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain and Israel in allowing the consoles.
Lebanon has granted Starlink a licence to operate in the country, but internet service for the devices has not yet been activated.
According to SpaceX, the service is “pending regulatory approval” in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
In August, the UAE's Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority posted on its website that it was looking at new regulations that could pave the way for satellite operators such as Starlink to begin operations in the country.
A document on TDRA's web portal showed that Starlink was granted a regulatory licence in 2024 that would last about 10 years for “maritime satellite internet services”.
Although Starlink is considered to be a leader in the low-Earth orbit internet sector, Amazon is also investing heavily and quickly to become a contender.
Unlike traditional options such as geostationary satellites, which orbit Earth at altitudes of 20,000km to 35,000km, low-Earth-orbit satellites are in the range of 160km to 2,000km, significantly accelerating internet speeds and reducing the latency usually associated with satellites.
In contrast to 5G or broadband internet connectivity, low-Earth-orbit satellite internet terminals do not depend on mobile towers or high-speed data lines, enabling internet connectivity in remote areas.
They have also proved effective in areas where internet infrastructure has been damaged by war or natural disasters.
The Iranian regime's internet blackout has reached record levels of severity, affecting approximately 99 per cent of the country, according to NetBlocks, which monitors internet access rights and digital governance.
“Iran's internet blackout is now entering its 18th day after 408 hours without international connectivity for the general public,” NetBlocks posted on its social media accounts on Tuesday.
“Chosen users are granted privileged access, while the remainder are left with a limited domestic intranet under increasingly tight control.”
Last June, amid protests in Iran, Mr Musk implied that he had activated the Starlink service. “The beams are on,” he wrote on X at the time.
Yet without devices, such as those seized by Iranian authorities, that make connectivity possible, that satellite activation is largely moot.
