One of the chief reasons Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, gained its following among political dissidents, activists, and tech romantics was the comforting belief that it hovered above the reach of governments. It was regarded as a utility immune to the often grubby hands of state power.
That illusion was shattered last week when Iran deployed, for the first time, military-grade signal jammers that disrupted Starlink satellite internet access, undercutting a key communications lifeline relied on by protesters and opposition activists during nationwide internet blackouts.
Iran’s digital shutdown marks a sharp escalation in the state's control over information flows as nationwide protests over inflation and a plummeting currency continue.
According to Iran Wire, tens of thousands of Starlink terminals are believed to be operating inside the country without government authorization. Meanwhile, satellite traffic was severely affected as jamming intensified. Roughly 30% of Starlink uplink and downlink traffic was initially disrupted, before interference rose to more than 80% within hours.
In previous blackouts, satellite services such as Starlink had served as a workaround when authorities throttled or severed access to domestic internet providers. Starlink terminals rely on GPS signals to identify their location and communicate with satellites.
According to the internet monitoring group NetBlocks, Iran’s nationwide blackout had extended beyond 60 hours, with overall connectivity hovering at roughly 1% of normal levels. The shutdown has been described as one of the most severe and prolonged in recent years.
Iranian authorities have not publicly commented on the reported use of military jamming equipment. In the past, officials have justified internet shutdowns as necessary to maintain public order and national security.
Why does this matter?
During the June protests in Kenya in 2024, the government throttled internet connections in Kenya to prevent the dissemination of real-time footage that could expose the state’s extrajudicial handling of the demonstrators. What followed was a furore against the country's largest telco, Safaricom, which was accused of being complicit in the censorship.
Many Kenyans at the time believed that it was foolhardy to rely on internet connections that could be compromised, prompting the agitation for Starlink connections. What even fueled the belief that the satellite internet service was beyond state overreach was when Safaricom formally asked the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) to restrict satellite internet providers, arguing they should be required to partner with licensed local ISPs and maintain a physical presence in the country.
Starlink subscriptions during the period doubled after the service introduced a cheaper rental plan for its costly hardware kit. Starlink has stagnated around the 1% market share throughout 2025 due to network saturation.
While the launch of a Nairobi ground station has allowed the resumption of new sign-ups, traditional ISPs continued to expand rapidly during the same period, widening the competitive gap. With no clash with state authorities in sight, Starlink’s immediate appeal has waned.
Following the events in Iran, one may be tempted to ask: will Starlink be reliable during a state-backed internet crackdown? Or will governments deploy military tech to impede a service that was revered as almost invincible?
In Africa, state authorities may not have to resort to such extreme means. Starlink has not displayed any intention of disobeying state orders. Before it was licensed in Zimbabwe, Starlink complied with shut down orders from the country's regulator. In Uganda, there are restrictions on the importation of Starlink equipment unless cleared by the head of the military.
Starlink's compliance can be understood as a survival strategy. Many African governments have viewed the satellite internet service with suspicion and are yet to grant it full operational license. Most of those who allow it to operate granted it under the condition of local partnership. South Africa, the continent's largest economy, is yet to license Starlink due to its resistance to equity and empowerment thresholds set by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA).
Inferring from these developments, one could be right to believe that Starlink would be at the mercy of state decree. It is a business, after all, striving not to jeopardize its uneasy legal status in Africa. With jammers now in the fold, governments can now seemingly perpetrate internet crackdowns without fearing an alternative beyond their abilities.
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