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This is how Musk provides internet connection in Iran with Starlink

1 year ago babelfish

This is how Musk provides internet connection in Iran with Starlink

Elon Musk said around 100 Starlink systems are now active in Iran. The activation of satellites, and in particular of ground reception stations, would allow protesters to continue using the internet and social media despite the ban imposed by the Tehran regime

Musk activates the Internet connection service in Iran through his Starlink.

Elon Musk has announced that 100 Starlink satellites, the service of his company SpaceX, are operational in Iran. He did so via Twitter (the social network he owns), responding to a user who, by posting a video showing Iranian women walking down the street, says that now there seems to be "more freedom for women to choose whether to cover themselves or minus the hair."

The activation of the satellites, and in particular of the ground reception stations, would allow the protesters to continue using the internet and social media despite the ban imposed by the authorities, underlined Reuters . Already last September, the month of the beginning of the wave of protests in Iran, Musk had made it known that he would provide the Starlink internet service with the aim of promoting the free flow of information.

Some people on Twitter had clamored for the US entrepreneur to supply the satellite Internet stations. As has already been done for Ukraine, hit by the Russian military offensive. SpaceX CEO Musk sent Starlink terminals to Ukraine at the request of Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who said broadband Internet service "keeps our cities connected and emergency services save lives" in the event of outages.

All the details.

STARLINK ACTIVE IN IRAN

SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Monday that the company is now close to having 100 active Starlinks, the company's satellite Internet service, in Iran, three months after he tweeted that it would activate the service there amid protests. around the Islamic country.

The billionaire said in September that he would activate Starlink in Iran as part of a US-backed effort "to promote internet freedom and the free flow of information" for Iranians. Satellite broadband service could help Iranians bypass government restrictions on accessing the internet and some social media platforms during protests across the country.

THE ROLE OF THE SPACEX CONSTELLATION IN THE UKRAINE WAR

Not forgetting that Starlink played an important role in the war in Ukraine. Though Musk drew the ire of Ukrainians in October when he tweeted that Kiev should remain neutral and cede territory to Russia in exchange for a peace deal. Additionally, Musk tweeted in October that SpaceX could no longer afford to provide the service to Ukraine indefinitely, only to backtrack two days later and say it would continue to provide free Starlink to Kiev.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has signed an agreement with Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp for more than 10,000 Starlink antennas that will be sent in the coming months: Fedorov announced in an interview relaunched by Espreso TV last week.

SANCTIONS ISSUE

But to provide the Starlink service in Iran, the SpaceX CEO must resolve the sanctions issue. Indeed, the Iranian economy is subject to a strict sanctions regime implemented by the United States and its allies.

Already last September Elon Musk said via Twitter that the aerospace company would seek an exemption from sanctions against Iran to provide Starlink satellite broadband service in the country. Musk did not specify which country Starlink would seek exemptions from, but Iran faces wide-ranging sanctions. “It remains to be seen whether Washington will see any interest in an American company that controls part of Iran's Internet access,” comments La Tribune .

WHAT STANDS AT THE STARLINK CONSTELLATION

To date, SpaceX has more than 3,600 Starlink satellites in orbit , covering 25 countries and over 145,000 users worldwide. These satellites ensure global internet access regardless of terrestrial connections. To connect, people need a specific Starlink terminal, a sort of router that receives the data sent by satellites, different from the traditional signals of earth stations.

In May, SpaceX told the FCC that Starlink had more than 400,000 subscribers. Among them, many are paying $110 a month for broadband Internet using $599 self-install terminal kits.

Musk's company aims to rapidly expand Starlink and is competing with rival satellite communications companies including OneWeb and Amazon which has yet to launch its Project Kuiper. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the US telecommunications regulator, has approved a request by Elon Musk's SpaceX to add 7,500 next-generation satellites to the Starlink constellation.

This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/ecco-come-musk-fornisce-la-connessione-internet-in-iran-con-starlink/ on Tue, 27 Dec 2022 10:44:45 +0000.