Iranian authorities say they have arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly providing unrestricted internet access using a Starlink satellite device in Fars Province, according to the state-backed Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).

The arrest comes as Iran enters its third week of a near-total nationwide internet shutdown imposed by the regime since the start of the war. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reports that connectivity across much of the country remains severely restricted.

According to ISNA, the man had established a network using a Starlink device and “related equipment” that allowed people in several provinces to access the internet without government authorization.

Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, has become one of the few ways some Iranians have been able to communicate with the outside world during government-imposed blackouts. Other methods used by citizens attempting to bypass restrictions include virtual private networks (VPNs).

Despite the sweeping shutdown, the internet ban is not applied equally. Government-approved users, including state-run media outlets and propaganda networks, continue to have access to the internet.

Iranian authorities have previously imposed nationwide internet blackouts during periods of unrest, including during widespread protests and the government’s crackdown on demonstrators earlier this year in January.

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