In the immediate aftermath of the US bombing of Iran, The Rest Is Politics and The Rest Is Politics: US released live reaction episodes – drawing over 1.8 million views, streams and downloads across platforms in under 24 hours. Audiences tuned in at scale via YouTube, Spotify and podcast platforms, with over 50,000 watching live […]

Despite missiles raining down – and perhaps to ensure connectivity – Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX’s Starlink broadband-by-satellite is now active in Iran. On June 13th, Iran’s communications ministry announced that “temporary restrictions have been imposed on the country’s internet” in response to Israel’s wave of attacks on military and nuclear facilities. The ministry […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a reality check to its fellow-regulators around the world saying that low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites beaming broadband signals cannot switch their transmissions off when passing over an unfriendly nation. The FCC response followed a complaint from Iran’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology about alleged illegal Starlink […]

SpaceX’s unofficial broadband satellite service to Iran using Starlink must cease, the ITU along with US and Norwegian regulators have ruled. The ITU (and in particular its Radio Regulations Board, RRB) took a decision on October 27th to state that the US and Norway – as the official notifying administrations for Starlink’s frequencies – must […]

There was a time when satellite dish owners in certain countries would be forced to disguise their dishes because of local bans and prohibitions. Owners in Saudi Arabia used to cover their large C-band dishes with parasols so that observing helicopters could not ‘see’ the equipment. Indeed, some owners in nearby Qatar, where a dish […]

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has approved Iran’s request to place a satellite at 43.5 degrees East. The history behind this Iranian craft goes back to 2016 and deadline after deadline missed. The concept was moving forward in 2017 when Iran signed an agreement with SES and where SES would place a temporary satellite at […]

Eutelsat has issued a statement confirming that, on December 21st,  it had “ended all involvement in the broadcasting of three [Russian] channels Rossiya One, Pervyi Kanal and NTV, within the prescribed 7-day compliance period.” “Pursuant to the Council of the European Union (EU) Regulation 2022/2474 of 16 December 2022, these three channels as well as […]

Eutelsat is suffering jamming from Iran. The deliberate jamming is affecting “external” channels being beamed into Iran. There are currently major civil demonstrations taking place in Iran, especially from young women objecting to the extremist government. The Guardian newspaper reports that Iran’s security forces have responded with live ammunition and brutal violence, killing over 50 […]

September 24th saw Elon Musk’s SpaceX launch an additional 52 Starlink satellites (mission 4.35) into orbit at 7.32pm Florida time. Musk’s business also responded to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s request to advance internet freedom and the free flow of information to Iran. Musk said last week that Starlink, which is already available to […]

The BBC and ITV have revealed their coverage plans for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar this winter. The BBC will show England’s opening match against Iran on November 21st, as well as the possible Home Nations group match against the final European qualifier, which will be one of Wales, Scotland or Ukraine. ITV will […]