'They cant block the sky': Inside an ingenious satellite TV hack bypassing Irans internet blackout when the web goes dark, activists are smuggling gigabytes of data through ordinary television signals to keep the Iranian people connected to the world

Date:
Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:20:00 +0000

Description:
During Irans internet shutdown, Toosheh used satellite TV signals to deliver data, bypassing restrictions and maintaining access to vital information.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Satellite TV signals became a hidden pipeline to circumvent Iran's government-imposed internet shutdown Toosheh delivers gigabytes of data without user interaction or a trace
Jamming efforts fail to fully block satellite-based data delivery In January 2026, the Iranian government shut down internet services across all provinces for weeks and also throttled VPNs , messaging, and phone services.

To regain connectivity, a nonprofit organization called NetFreedom Pioneers turned to an unlikely solution: ordinary satellite television signals. The technology, dubbed Toosheh, delivers curated data through free-to-air TV satellite broadcasts that the government cannot easily block. Article continues below You may like Iran's internet shutdown proves we need to go beyond Starlink, VPNs this tech may be the solution 'Iranians are resilient; they always find ways to speak:' How Iranians are overcoming unprecedented internet censorship 'Near-complete shutdown' Iranians face third day of internet blackout as connectivity hits 1% How satellite TV signals became a data delivery system Free-to-air satellite broadcasts are unencrypted and can be received by anyone with a dish and receiver, with no subscription required - tech enthusiasts found that they could use a DVB card to transform a personal computer into a satellite receiver.

With this, the device will do more than simply watch live TV; it will also capture and store data.

Toosheh works by using the MPEG transport stream that satellite TV uses, but slips in documents, videos, and software in such a way that a receiver treats them like regular audio or video.

Users receive 1 to 5 gigabytes of prepackaged content in a magazine-like format, without ever sending requests or revealing their activity, as the system leaves no traceable logs, making it entirely private and undetectable. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Why traditional jamming is not so effective Terrestrial jamming has been used to block the network, using antennas installed at higher elevations to beam strong noise over specific areas.

But this method is short-range and requires considerable power, making it impossible to implement nationwide.

NetFreedom Pioneers added redundancy to its transmissions, similar to a data storage technique called RAID. What to read next Iranians threatened with legal action for using VPNs to bypass internet blocks here's everything we know 2025 was the worst year on record for internet shutdowns as censors move to more targeted blocks Iran alleges systematic sabotage of US-made
networking infrastructure mid-conflict hardware shut down and rebooted despite internet blackout

Under normal conditions, it uses about 5% of its bandwidth for redundancy. During active jamming, it increases that to as much as 30%.

This allows users to reconstruct complete files even when some packets are corrupted.

During the internet shutdown, Toosheh distributed official statements from Iranian opposition leaders and the US government.

The system delivered first aid tutorials for medics and injured protesters, along with uncensored news reports from BBC Persian, Iran International, and VOA Farsi.

It also delivered critical software packages, including anti-censorship tools and guides for securely connecting to Starlink satellite terminals.

However, the system is not without its challenges. Operating Toosheh costs tens of thousands of dollars per month for satellite bandwidth.

With the US State Department ending its funding in August 2025, the cost burden falls entirely on the nonprofit organizations, which can only keep it running temporarily with private donations.

Also, unlike two-way systems like Starlink, Toosheh provides only downloads, not uploads, meaning users cannot send messages or communicate back.

Still, Toosheh offers a lifeline, delivering data through the sky in a way that censors cannot easily block.

Via IEEE Spectrum Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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