Starlink Blackout in Iran Exposes Satellite Vulnerability, Sparks BRICS Digital Sovereignty Push

An analysis from the YouTube channel Think BRICS (@ThinkBRICS) examines a pivotal event in modern satellite warfare: the reported large-scale disabling of Starlink terminals in Iran. The video details how, during a period of civil unrest, Iranian security forces, with assistance from Russian and Chinese technology, allegedly jammed the specific frequencies used by thousands of Starlink terminals, causing a complete nationwide communications blackout. This incident is presented as a critical demonstration of the vulnerability of even advanced, private low-Earth-orbit networks to state-level electronic warfare.

The implications of this "Starlink blackout" are framed as a strategic turning point, forcing a major reassessment of dependency on foreign-controlled digital infrastructure. It underscored a key risk: that critical communications can be cut off by either the service provider through geofencing, as previously seen in Ukraine, or by an adversary through targeted jamming. This revelation has become a powerful catalyst for a global push toward "digital sovereignty."

In direct response, nations are accelerating efforts to build sovereign alternatives to circumvent Western-controlled systems. Russia has announced the serial production of its "Zorky" satellite constellation, designed for independent reconnaissance and communications. China is aggressively expanding its own massive satellite networks, while India is developing indigenous software like "BharOS" to secure its digital stack. The collective effort among BRICS nations aims to create a multipolar orbital landscape where control over communications and data is not centralised under a single corporate or national entity.

The analysis concludes that control of orbital infrastructure is now equated with national security and autonomy. The incident in Iran is not viewed as an isolated event but as the opening move in a long-term strategic competition, shifting the global paradigm from reliance on a single dominant network to a fragmented, sovereignty-driven space race.

Source: How Iran and China Silenced 10,000 Starlink Terminals — Why Russia Launched Zorky (Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhkjUgwl5Bs)