SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said yesterday that the company is now close to deploying 100 devices to connect to the company’s satellite internet service, Starlink, in Iran.
“We are close to 100 active Starlink devices in Iran,” Musk said in a tweet today. This came three months after he tweeted that he would activate the service there amid the massive protests in the 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-based broadband service can help Iranians circumvent government restrictions that limit access to the internet and some social media platforms in light of the protests that have been witnessed across the country.
It is noteworthy that this is the second time this year that Starlink provides satellite internet service after Ukraine, which has been witnessing a state of war with Russia for months.
Musk, who supported the US administration’s efforts to secure Ukrainian and Iranian access to the Internet via satellite, expressed his annoyance that Starlink has not received any funding from the US Department of Defense for its services in Ukraine, adding that the company loses about $20 million a month due to unpaid service. and costs related to the service. But soon he announced his retraction and that his company would continue to provide internet in Ukraine.
