Iran internet shutdown: Civil society demands satellite radio to phones

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For over two weeks, a digital ice age has prevailed in Iran. The regime has effectively cut off around 92 million people from the outside world. This drastic measure is intended not only to stifle resistance within the country but also to leave relatives worldwide in uncertainty. Anyone with relatives or friends in Iran can no longer reach them: WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram are dead. A global coalition of civil society organizations is now demanding a technological U-turn.

Civil rights organizations such as Access Now, Article 19, Witness, and the Center for Human Rights in Iran are advocating in a call published on Friday for so-called Direct-to-Cell (D2C) technologies. These are to be prioritized worldwide as a humanitarian tool to render state blackouts ineffective, not only in the current conflict in the Middle East. In Ukraine, Elon Musk's satellite service Starlink launched a D2C option in November.

Dead end of expensive terminals

Until now, satellite internet has been available in Iran, but it involved enormous risks. Services like Starlink typically require special hardware terminals, which are traded on the black market for over 1000 US dollars. For the general population in rural areas or poorer urban districts, this access remains unattainable. Furthermore, the dishes on the roofs are easily detectable by drones, making users targets of espionage accusations.

This is where D2C technology comes in: it enables conventional smartphones to connect directly to satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). No special modem is needed. Most mobile phones produced after 2020 already have the necessary hardware. This would instantly close the digital divide and democratize information from communities that are currently being made invisible.

According to the coalition, the Iranian network and communication shutdown clearly shows that access to free internet is not a luxury good. Rather, it is a fundamental prerequisite for the protection of human rights.

A hint of connectivity – or a trap?

Current data from IT service provider Cloudflare showed a slight short-term easing in recent hours: nationwide data traffic recently reached around 30 percent of the pre-blockade level again. The organization Netblocks confirms that more VPN tunnels have been established since Friday morning and messaging services are partially functional. However, the relief in Tehran is overshadowed by concern. Activists fear that this is only a temporary relaxation to calm the population or to lure users into state-controlled internet corridors. International connectivity remains low, and censorship extremely severe.

For D2C to unfold its life-saving potential, massive regulatory hurdles must be overcome, according to the coalition. Governments should guarantee regulatory exemptions and frequency access, the appeal states, so that satellite providers can operate without the consent of local despots. Furthermore, emergency protocols must be established that enable immediate, free activation of services as soon as a politically motivated shutdown is documented.

Iran is not an isolated case. From Myanmar to Sudan, regimes use shutdowns to conceal violence. The technological feasibility of D2C has been proven, according to the NGOs. What is missing is the coordinated will to act. Politics must not see technology solely as a profit center but must recognize it as a digital lifeline for freedom.

From "Internet-e Halal" to total control

It is not new that Tehran controls the flow of information. However, the current dimension of the shutdown is unprecedented. For years, the authorities have been working on establishing a national network, the so-called "Internet-e Halal" (Islamic Internet) or "Internet-e Melli" (National Internet). The goal is a digital parallel world that is isolated from the outside, while internal services for banking or authorities continue to run under control.

The lack of transparency in decision-making processes is alarming. The official Ministry of Communications no longer has the say; the threads converge in the security organs and intelligence services. These use the network as a weapon: estimates now range from over 16,500 killed demonstrators whose fate was to be hidden behind the digital wall.

(nie)