- Satellite television signals have become a hidden pipeline to circumvent the Iranian government’s internet shutdown.
- Toosheh delivers gigabytes of data without user interaction or trace
- Jamming efforts fail to completely block satellite data transmission
In January 2026, the Iranian government shut down internet services in all provinces for weeks and also limited VPN, email and phone services.
To regain connectivity, a nonprofit called NetFreedom Pioneers turned to an unlikely solution: ordinary satellite TV signals.
The technology, called Toosheh, provides curated data via free satellite TV broadcasts that the government cannot easily block.
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How Satellite TV Signals Became a Data Transmission System
Free satellite broadcasts are unencrypted and can be received by anyone with a satellite dish and receiver, with no subscription required. Technology enthusiasts have discovered that they can use a DVB card to turn a personal computer into a satellite receiver.
With this, the device will do more than just watch live TV; it will also capture and store data.
Toosheh works using the MPEG transport stream used by satellite television, but inserts documents, videos, and software in such a way that a receiver treats them like regular audio or video.
Users receive 1-5 GB of pre-packaged content in a magazine-like format, without ever sending queries or revealing their activity, as the system leaves no traceable logs, making it completely private and undetectable.
Why traditional jamming isn’t so effective
Terrestrial jamming was used to block the network, using antennas installed at higher altitudes to broadcast powerful noise to specific areas.
But this method is short-range and requires considerable power, making it impossible to implement on a national scale.
NetFreedom Pioneers added redundancy to its transmissions, similar to a data storage technique called RAID.
Under normal conditions, it uses about 5% of its bandwidth for redundancy. During active jamming this increases up to 30%.
This allows users to rebuild complete files even when some packages are corrupted.
During the internet shutdown, Toosheh broadcast official statements from Iranian opposition leaders and the U.S. government.
The system provided first aid tutorials to doctors and injured protesters, as well as uncensored reporting from BBC Persian, Iran International and VOA Farsi.
It also provided essential software packages, including anti-censorship tools and guides for safely connecting to Starlink satellite terminals.
However, the system is not without challenges. Toosheh costs tens of thousands of dollars per month for satellite bandwidth to operate.
With the U.S. State Department ending its funding in August 2025, the burden of costs falls squarely on the nonprofit organizations, which can only operate the project temporarily through private donations.
Additionally, unlike two-way systems like Starlink, Toosheh only offers uploads, not uploads, meaning users can’t message or communicate back.
Still, Toosheh offers a lifeline, transmitting data across the sky in a way that censors can’t easily block.
Via IEEE Spectrum
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