Write a comment
Nearly 100 Starlink internet terminals are currently operating in Iran, SpaceX chief Elon Musk said Monday.
The tycoon had promised to bring the satellite internet network to the country in September as Iranian authorities imposed increasingly severe access restrictions, in a move activists called a campaign to limit information about protests that had broken out nationwide.
"Approachi Nearly 100 Starlink internet terminals are currently operating in Iran, SpaceX chief Elon Musk said Monday.
The tycoon had promised to bring the satellite internet network to the country in September as Iranian authorities imposed increasingly severe access restrictions, in a move activists called a campaign to limit information about protests that had broken out nationwide.
"Approaching 100 Starlinks active in Iran," Musk tweeted Monday.
Starlink has more than 2,000 tiny satellites orbiting just a few hundred kilometers above Earth, providing internet access to users below.
The land-based terminals are then wired up to basic routers that create small wifi spots.
Earlier this year, controversial billionaire Musk gained hero status in Ukraine after sending thousands of Starlink terminals to the country in the days after Russia's invasion.
Ukraine now has 20,000 of the small white receivers throughout the country.
Twitter head Musk's Monday message was posted in response to a user whose video they said was taken in the "streets of Iran," where there is now "more freedom for the women to choose whether they cover their hair or not."
The post appeared to reference protests that swept Iran and the world after the September death of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini following her arrest in Tehran for an alleged breach of the country's strict dress code for women.
Iran has unleashed a crackdown arresting around 14,000 people, according to the UN, and killing 469 protesters according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR).
The country's top security body in early December gave a toll of more than 200 people killed, including security officers.
The authorities had already restricted access to Instagram and WhatsApp -- until this autumn the last remaining unfiltered social media services -- and then clamped down on apps like the Google Play Store as well as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that seek to circumvent local access restrictions.
Iranians have long used VPNs to access sites blocked in Iran -- even government officials including the foreign minister have Twitter accounts despite the network being blocked in the country.
Related Links
Read the latest in Military Space Communications Technology at SpaceWar.com
|
| Tweet |
| Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution. | ||
| SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once credit card or paypal |  | SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly paypal only |
Government Solutions rebadges as SES Space and Defense
Reston VA (SPX) Dec 14, 2022
SES Government Solutions (SES GS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES, will begin operating under the new name SES Space and Defense effective immediately. The name change comes after combining SES Government Solutions with the recently acquired DRS Global Enterprise Solutions (DRS GES). The SES Space and Defense brand reflects the organization's new positioning and expanded offering serving the needs of the U.S. Government customers. Over the past four months, SES Space and Defense saw the appointm ... read more