Dubai: The satellite internet provider Starlink now offers free service in Iran, activists said on Wednesday.

Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has helped get the units into Iran, told The Associated Press that the free service had started. Other activists also confirmed in messages online that the service was free.

“We can confirm that the free subscription for Starlink terminals is fully functional,” Yahyanejad said in a statement. “We tested it using a newly activated Starlink terminal inside Iran.”

Starlink has been the only way for Iranians to communicate with the outside world since authorities shut down the internet Thursday night as nationwide protests swelled and they began a bloody crackdown against demonstrators.

Starlink itself did not immediately acknowledge the decision.

AP