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The clandestine network smuggling Starlink tech into Iran to beat internet blackout
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The clandestine network smuggling Starlink tech into Iran to beat internet blackout

BBC News · May 2, 2026, 11:17 PM

Key takeaways

  • Sahand, whose name we have changed, fears for family members and other contacts inside the country.
  • For more than two months, Iran has been in digital darkness as the government maintains one of the longest-running national internet shutdowns ever recorded worldwide.
  • The current blackout began after the US and Israel launched airstrikes on 28 February.

Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.

Reha Kansara BBC Global Disinformation Unit BBCSahand packs a Starlink terminal he is preparing to send to Iran"If even one extra person is able to access the internet, I think it's successful and it's worth it," says Sahand.

The Iranian man is visibly anxious, speaking to the BBC outside Iran, as he carefully explains how he is part of a clandestine network smuggling satellite internet technology - which is illegal in Iran - into the country.

Sahand, whose name we have changed, fears for family members and other contacts inside the country. "If I was identified by the Iranian regime, they might make those I'm in touch with in Iran pay the price," he says.

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