White House And Elon Musk Explore The Opening Of Starlink Internet Service In Iran

JAKARTA - The White House is currently in talks with billionaire Elon Musk about setting up a satellite internet service from SpaceX, Starlink in Iran.

As quoted from a CNN report Friday, October 21, the deal will allow Iranian citizens to use the Starlink internet network, without the blessing of the local government.

Satellite-based broadband services can help Iranians circumvent restrictions imposed by the Iranian regime on accessing the internet and certain social media platforms.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has in recent weeks been hit by massive protests, which followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody last month.

The US Treasury said last month that some of Starlink's satellite internet equipment could be exported to Iran. This suggests that the company may not need a license to provide satellite broadband services in Iran.

Musk later said he would activate Starlink in response to a tweet by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the United States was taking action to advance internet freedom and the free flow of information into Iran.

SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters on the report.

Musk said on Tuesday, October 18 that Starlink had not received any funding from the US Department of Defense for its internet services in Ukraine. He also added that his company loses about $20 million per month due to unpaid services and fees for security measures for cyber warfare defense.

SpaceX is aiming to develop Starlink, as it competes with rival satellite communications companies such as OneWeb and Amazon.com Inc, which have yet to officially launch Project Kuiper.