PARIS, Jan 14 (Reuters) – France is looking into sending Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran to help citizens after Iranian authorities imposed a blackout of internet services in a bid to quell the country’s most violent domestic unrest in decades.
“We are exploring all options, and the one you have mentioned is among them,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday in the lower house after a lawmaker asked whether France would send Eutelsat gear to Iran.
Backed by the French and British governments, Eutelsat owns the only other low Earth orbit constellation, or group of satellites, besides Elon Musk’s Starlink.
These satellites are used to beam internet service from space, providing broadband connectivity to businesses, governments and consumers in under-served areas.
Iranian authorities have in recent days launched a deadly crackdown that has reportedly killed thousands during protests against clerical rule, and imposed a near-complete shutdown of internet service.
Still, some Iranians have managed to connect to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, three people inside the country said.
Even Starlink service appears to be reduced, Alp Toker, founder of internet monitoring group NetBlocks said earlier this week.
Eutelsat did not respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by John Irish, Inti Landauro and Gianluca Lo Nostro; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Bernadette Baum)
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