France is exploring sending Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran to help citizens maintain internet access after Iranian authorities imposed a near-total blackout amid nationwide protests, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday.
“We are exploring all options, and the one you have mentioned is among them,” Barrot told lawmakers in the National Assembly in Paris, responding to a question about providing Eutelsat equipment to Iran.
Eutelsat, backed by the French and British governments, owns OneWeb, a low Earth orbit satellite constellation that provides broadband connectivity from space. It is one of only two such constellations worldwide, alongside Elon Musk’s Starlink, which some Iranians have already used to connect despite government restrictions.
Starlink’s network of more than 9,000 satellites allows faster speeds and cheaper, easier-to-install terminals than OneWeb, which has just over 600 satellites. Independent satellite communications adviser Carlos Placido said OneWeb terminals are bulkier and easier to jam, while the scale of Starlink makes interference more difficult.
Eutelsat has also provided internet access to Ukraine’s military, which has relied on Starlink to maintain battlefield communications during the war with Russia. The company declined to comment on Barrot’s remarks or its activities in Iran.
Since protests began on January 8, Iranian authorities have imposed a near-complete internet shutdown, limiting the flow of information within the country and abroad. The blackout has coincided with the most violent domestic unrest in decades, with reports of thousands of deaths and widespread arrests.
Providing satellite internet access could allow Iranians to communicate and access information despite government restrictions, although technical limitations and the potential for interference remain challenges.
