SpaceX Switches On Nearly 100 Starlink Terminals In Iran To Power Free Internet

Since civil unrest broke out in Iran over 100 days ago, SpaceX has activated nearly 100 Starlink terminals in the region, in what CEO Elon Musk said was a bid to “advance internet freedom and the free flow of information” as citizens continue their protests.

In a response to a tweet documenting how women in Iran can now walk about freely with or without hair coverings, Musk noted that the company was “approaching 100 Starlinks active” in the country.

The billionaire had promised back in September that he would provide the satellite broadband service in the nation as part of a US-backed effort to ensure Iranians were still able to receive information, following local government clampdowns on social media platforms.

As per the BBC, these 100 days of dissent have been the longest streak of anti-government protests in Iran since the country underwent the 1979 Islamic revolution. 

Unrest had begun after 22-year-old Masha Amini died in police custody when she was arrested for not wearing a head covering in public, which the state deemed as “unsuitable attire.”

This gesture from Musk matches the business mogul’s initiative in Ukraine since the country was invaded by Russia, with European nations recently banding together to provide funding for 10,000 more Starlink terminals there.

[via Space.com and Reuters, cover image via Valerio Rosati | Dreamstime.com]