Starlink has reportedly waived monthly subscription payments for users inside Iran after its government shut down the internet last Thursday - cutting off millions of people from their families, livelihoods and access to information, during a deadly crackdown on protests.
The satellite technology has become a vital communications lifeline for some of those in the country trying to tell the outside world what has been happening on the ground in recent days.
Two people in Iran told BBC Persian their device was running on Tuesday night even though they had not been keeping up with subscription payments. The director of an organisation that helps Iranians get online also told BBC Persian that Starlink had been made free.
The satellite technology, which belongs to Elon Musk's SpaceX company, provides internet to tens of thousands of people in Iran, despite the fact it is illegal there. Since the internet was shut down, it has become one of the last, if not the last, remaining channels for Iranians to communicate with the outside world.
The BBC has approached SpaceX to confirm it has waived the fee, but they are yet to respond.
Using the service in Iran carries a punishment of up to two years in prison and authorities have reportedly been searching for Starlink dishes to stop people from connecting to the internet.
They're going onto rooftops and checking the surrounding buildings, says Parsa - not his real name, who spoke to BBC Persian using a Starlink connection. What people need to know is that the government is searching areas where a lot of footage has come out, so they need to be even more cautious, he says.
The device operates like a mobile phone mast in space, using a constellation of satellites to communicate with small dishes on the ground with a built-in WiFi router.
But the device is costly and beyond the means of many in Iran - so making it free may lead to its wider use.
Speaking to Al Jazeera TV on Monday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the internet had been cut off after we confronted terrorist operations and realised orders were coming from outside the country.
Human rights groups have condemned the blanket blackout as an abuse of power, confirming the killing of more than 2,400 protesters during the unrest, as well as almost 150 people affiliated with security forces.
Still, communication persists as efforts continue by activists to share evidence of the ongoing violence. I think a lot of people are connected, but only a very small number are taking the risk of sending information out, explains Parsa.
Despite the government’s efforts to jam Starlink, users in Iran are finding ways to access the satellite network, risking their safety for the sake of transparency and truth.
