Technology
From Tehran Rooftops To Orbit: How Elon Musk Is Reshaping Who Controls The Internet
How Starlink turned the sky into a battleground for digital power — and why one private network now challenges the sovereignty of states
On a rooftop in northern Tehran, long after midnight, a young engineering student adjusts a flat white dish toward the sky. The city around him is digitally dark—mobile data throttled, social media blocked, foreign websites unreachable. Yet inside his apartment, a laptop screen glows with Telegram messages, BBC livestreams, and uncensored access to the outside world.
Scenes like this have appeared repeatedly in footage from Iran’s unrest broadcast by international news channels.
But there’s a catch. The connection does not travel through Iranian cables or telecom towers. It comes from space.
Above him, hundreds of kilometres overhead, a small cluster of satellites belonging to Elon Musk’s Starlink network relays his data through the vacuum of orbit, bypassing the state entirely.
For governments built on control of information, this is no longer a technical inconvenience. It is a political nightmare. The image is quietly extraordinary. Not because of the technology — that story is already familiar — but because of what it represents: a private satellite network, owned by a US billionaire, now functioning as a parallel communications system inside a sovereign state that has deliberately tried to shut its citizens offline.
The Rise of an Unstoppable Network
Starlink, operated by Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX, has quietly become the most ambitious communications infrastructure ever built by a private individual.
As of late 2025, more than 9,000 Starlink satellites orbit Earth in low Earth orbit (LEO) (SpaceX / industry trackers, 2025). According to a report in Business Insider, the network serves over 9 million active users globally, and Starlink now operates in more than 155 countries and territories (Starlink coverage data, 2025).
It is the largest satellite constellation in human history, dwarfing every government system combined.
This is not merely a technology story. It is a power story.
Unlike traditional internet infrastructure — fibre cables, mobile towers, undersea routes — Starlink’s backbone exists in space. It does not cross borders. It does not require landing rights in the conventional sense. And, increasingly, it does not ask permission.
Iran: When the Sky Replaced the State
During successive waves of anti-government protests in Iran, authorities imposed sweeping internet shutdowns: mobile networks crippled, platforms blocked, bandwidth throttled to near zero. These tactics, used repeatedly since 2019, were designed to isolate protesters from each other and from the outside world.
They did not fully anticipate space-based internet.
By late 2024 and 2025, Starlink terminals had begun appearing clandestinely across Iranian cities, smuggled through borders or carried in by diaspora networks. Possession is illegal. Penalties are severe. Yet the demand has grown.
Because the network operates without local infrastructure, users can communicate with foreign media, upload protest footage in real time, coordinate securely beyond state surveillance, and maintain access even during nationwide blackouts.
The numbers are necessarily imprecise, but multiple independent estimates provide a sense of scale. Analysts at BNE IntelliNews estimated over 30,000 active Starlink users inside Iran by 2025.
Iranian activist networks suggest the number of physical terminals may be between 50,000 and 100,000, many shared across neighbourhoods. Earlier acknowledgements from Elon Musk confirmed that SpaceX had activated service coverage over Iran despite the lack of formal licensing.
This is what alarms governments most: the state no longer controls the kill switch.
Ukraine: When One Man Could Switch It Off
The power — and danger — of this new infrastructure became even clearer in Ukraine.
After Russia’s 2022 invasion, Starlink terminals were shipped in by the thousands to keep Ukrainian communications alive. Hospitals, emergency services, journalists, and frontline military units all relied on it. For a time, Starlink was celebrated as a technological shield for democracy.
Then came the uncomfortable reality.
Investigative reporting later revealed that Elon Musk personally intervened in decisions about where Starlink would and would not operate. In at least one documented case, coverage was restricted near Crimea, reportedly to prevent Ukrainian drone operations against Russian naval assets.
The implications were stark: A private individual, accountable to no electorate, had the power to influence the operational battlefield of a sovereign war. Governments noticed.
Digital Sovereignty in the Age of Orbit
For decades, states have understood sovereignty to include control of national telecom infrastructure, regulation of internet providers, the legal authority to impose shutdowns, the power to filter, censor, and surveil.
Starlink disrupts all of it.
Because, the satellites are in space, outside national jurisdiction. Access can be activated remotely by SpaceX, and the terminals can be smuggled like USB devices. Traffic can bypass domestic data laws entirely.
In effect, Starlink represents a parallel internet — one that states cannot fully regulate, inspect, or disable without extraordinary countermeasures such as satellite jamming or physical raids.
Authoritarian regimes view this as foreign interference. Democratic governments increasingly see it as a strategic vulnerability. Either way, the monopoly problem is the same: A single corporate network, controlled by one individual, increasingly functions as critical global infrastructure.
How the Technology Actually Works
The power of Starlink lies in its architecture. Traditional internet depends on fibre-optic cables across cities and oceans, local internet exchanges, mobile towers and ground stations, and centralised chokepoints.
Starlink bypasses most of this. Instead, it uses thousands of LEO satellites orbiting at ~550 km altitude, user terminals (“dishes”) that automatically track satellites overhead, inter-satellite laser links, allowing data to travel from satellite to satellite in space, and a limited number of ground gateways connecting the system to the wider internet.
This design creates resilience: No single tower to shut down, no local ISP to regulate, and no fibre line to cut.
For protesters, journalists, and dissidents, this is transformative. For governments, it is destabilising.
A Private Citizen vs the Rules of the Internet
The global internet was built around multistakeholder governance: National regulators, international bodies like the ITU, treaties governing spectrum use, and complex norms around cross-border infrastructure.
Starlink bypasses much of this through sheer technical dominance, and it has become a company that: owns the rockets, owns the satellites, owns the terminals, controls activation, controls pricing, controls coverage zones… effectively controls a layer of global communication.
This is why policymakers now speak openly of “digital sovereignty at risk”. It is no longer only China’s Great Firewall or Iran’s censorship model under scrutiny. It is the idea that global connectivity itself might be increasingly privatised, personalised, and politically unpredictable.
The Unanswered Question
Starlink undeniably delivers real benefits, it offers connectivity in disaster zones, internet access in rural Africa, emergency communications in war, educational access where infrastructure never existed.
But it also raises an uncomfortable, unresolved question: Should any individual — however visionary, however innovative — hold this much power over who gets access to the global flow of information?
Today, a protester in Tehran can speak to the world because Elon Musk chooses to allow it.
Tomorrow, that access could disappear just as easily — with a policy change, a commercial decision, or a geopolitical calculation.The sky has become infrastructure. Infrastructure has become power. And power, increasingly, belongs not to states — but to a handful of corporations.
There is another layer to this power calculus — and it is economic. While Starlink has been quietly enabled over countries such as Iran without formal approval, China remains a conspicuous exception. The reason is less technical than commercial. Elon Musk’s wider business empire, particularly Tesla, is deeply entangled with China’s economy. Shanghai hosts Tesla’s largest manufacturing facility in the world, responsible for more than half of the company’s global vehicle output, and Chinese consumers form one of Tesla’s most critical markets.
Chinese authorities, in turn, have made clear their hostility to uncontrolled foreign satellite internet, viewing it as a threat to state censorship and information control. Beijing has banned Starlink terminals, restricted their military use, and invested heavily in its own rival satellite constellation. For Musk, activating Starlink over China would almost certainly provoke regulatory retaliation that could jeopardise Tesla’s operations, supply chains, and market access. The result is an uncomfortable contradiction: the same technology framed as a tool of freedom in Iran or Ukraine is conspicuously absent over China — a reminder that even a supposedly borderless internet still bends to the gravitational pull of corporate interests and geopolitical power.
Apple has announced a price hike in India for several of its products, including MacBooks, iPads, Apple TV and HomePod devices, as rising global memory chip costs driven by artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure increase manufacturing expenses. iPhone prices remain unchanged.
The revised prices are now reflected on Apple’s India online store and come amid a global surge in demand for DRAM and NAND flash memory, essential components used in laptops, tablets and other consumer electronics.
MacBook Prices See Sharp Increase
Among the biggest revisions, the 13-inch MacBook Air (M5) now starts at ₹1,49,900, up from ₹1,19,900. The 15-inch MacBook Air (M5) has increased from ₹1,44,900 to ₹1,74,900.
Meanwhile, the 14-inch MacBook Pro now starts at ₹2,39,900, compared to its earlier price of ₹1,69,900. Premium MacBook Pro models equipped with the M5 Max chip have also witnessed price increases of up to ₹1 lakh.
iPad Prices Also Revised
Apple has also increased prices across several iPad models. The entry-level 11-inch iPad now starts at ₹49,900, up from ₹34,900, while the 11-inch iPad Air has risen from ₹59,900 to ₹74,900. The 11-inch iPad Pro now starts at ₹1,19,900, compared with ₹99,900 earlier.
Apple TV and Home Pod devices have also become more expensive, although the company has not revised prices for iPhones, Apple Watches or AirPods.
Why Has Apple Increased Prices?
According to Reuters, Apple attributed the revision to rising costs of memory components such as DRAM and NAND flash storage.
The rapid expansion of AI data centres has significantly increased demand for advanced memory chips, tightening global supply and driving up component prices. Industry analysts say manufacturers across the consumer electronics sector are facing higher production costs as AI infrastructure investment continues to accelerate.
Why iPhone Prices Remain Unchanged
Despite the latest revision, Apple has kept iPhone prices in India unchanged. Analysts believe the company may be waiting until the launch of its next-generation iPhone lineup before making any pricing changes to its smartphones. However, continued increases in semiconductor costs could influence future pricing decisions.
AI Boom Reshaping Consumer Electronics
The price hike in India highlights the wider impact of the AI boom on the technology industry. As companies invest billions of dollars in AI infrastructure and data centres, demand for high-performance memory chips has surged, increasing manufacturing costs for laptops, tablets and other electronic devices.
The development reflects a broader trend where AI is beginning to influence not only software innovation but also the pricing of consumer hardware worldwide.
Technology
As AI Transforms Work, Can India Manage the Jobless Growth?
As AI transforms workplaces, concerns over jobless growth are rising. Experts and global leaders discuss about employment through reskilling and education.
“We have to upskill ourselves every six months now. Earlier, learning a new software was enough. Today, the competition is not just with other people. It is with AI.”
For Vishnu, a customer service professional at Infopark in Kochi, keeping pace with technological change has become part of the job. New AI-powered tools are increasingly handling routine customer queries, summarizing conversations and assisting with problem-solving—tasks that once relied entirely on human workers.
His experience reflects a broader shift taking place across industries. As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, workers are being pushed to continuously adapt, raising concerns about whether technological progress will create enough employment opportunities to match its economic gains.
The global economy is undergoing one of its most significant technological transformations since the internet age. Yet alongside optimism about innovation and productivity, policymakers and business leaders are grappling with a growing concern: jobless growth.
What happens in jobless growth?
The issue took centre stage this week at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, popularly known as “Summer Davos,” in Dalian, China. The gathering brought together more than 1,800 leaders from governments, businesses and academia from over 90 countries to discuss how emerging technologies can drive economic growth while ensuring that workers are not left behind.
A recurring theme throughout the summit was the need to prevent economic growth from becoming detached from job creation. While artificial intelligence is expected to improve productivity across sectors, leaders stressed that technology alone cannot guarantee employment opportunities. Investments in skills, education, entrepreneurship and workforce transition were repeatedly highlighted as essential to ensuring that innovation benefits a wider section of society.
The concern is not without basis.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, technological change is expected to transform 22 percent of jobs globally by 2030. The report estimates that while around 170 million new jobs could be created during this period, approximately 92 million existing jobs may be displaced, resulting in a large-scale restructuring of the labour market.
The report also found that nearly 59 percent of the global workforce will require reskilling or upskilling by 2030. Meanwhile, 41 percent of employers surveyed said they expect to reduce workforces where artificial intelligence can automate specific tasks, even as a majority indicated plans to invest in retraining employees.
Why is India significant?
Home to one of the world’s largest young populations, the country adds millions of job seekers to the workforce every year. At the same time, sectors such as information technology, customer support, finance and administrative services—areas where India has built a strong global presence—are among those experiencing rapid AI adoption.
Research by the International Labour Organization has suggested that generative AI is more likely to transform jobs than eliminate them entirely. Many occupations, particularly in clerical and support services, are expected to see specific tasks automated rather than whole roles disappearing. This means workers may increasingly find themselves collaborating with AI systems instead of competing directly against them.
That possibility has shifted attention toward preparedness rather than panic.
Rather than debating whether AI will change the nature of work, attention is increasingly shifting to how workers can be prepared for that change. Policymakers, educational institutions and employers are under growing pressure to ensure that people have access to the skills needed in an AI-driven economy. From digital literacy and vocational training to continuous learning opportunities, reskilling is emerging as a key part of the response.
The World Economic Forum echoed this sentiment in Dalian, emphasizing that the next phase of economic growth will depend not only on technological breakthroughs but also on investments in human capital.
Technology
10 Technologies That Could Change How We Power Homes, Fight Cancer and Feed the World
The report identifies a new generation of technologies that are moving from laboratories into practical applications and could begin influencing everyday life within the next three to five years
The next technological revolution may not arrive through a single invention. Instead, it could emerge from a collection of breakthroughs that reshape how people access energy, healthcare, food and essential resources.
That is the picture painted by the World Economic Forum’s Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report 2026, produced in collaboration with scientific publisher Frontiers. The report identifies a new generation of technologies that are moving from laboratories into practical applications and could begin influencing everyday life within the next three to five years.
What makes this year’s list particularly striking is a common thread connecting many of the innovations. They are designed to make critical resources—whether electricity, medicines or industrial materials—more accessible, more efficient and less dependent on geography or large centralized systems.
Emerging Technologies 2026 Are Bringing Energy Closer to People
For more than a century, electricity has largely travelled in one direction—from power stations to homes and businesses. That model may soon begin to change.
One of the technologies highlighted in the report is Everything-to-Grid Energy, or X-to-Grid. The concept allows buildings, electric vehicles, factories and even data centres to send stored electricity back into the grid during periods of high demand. Instead of acting solely as consumers, these assets become active participants in energy generation and storage.
Combined with the rapid growth of renewable energy, such systems could make electricity networks more resilient and reduce waste.
Another energy-related breakthrough is Direct Lithium Extraction, which dramatically shortens the time required to recover lithium from brine sources. Lithium is a critical component of electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems. Faster and more sustainable extraction methods could strengthen supply chains while reducing environmental impacts.
Meanwhile, Passive Radiative Cooling Materials offer a low-energy response to rising temperatures. These materials cool buildings by reflecting sunlight and releasing heat into the atmosphere, reducing the need for conventional air-conditioning systems. In a warming world, such innovations could become increasingly important.
Emerging Technologies 2026 Could Transform Healthcare
Healthcare is another field undergoing rapid transformation.
Among the technologies attracting attention are Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccines, which are designed around the unique genetic mutations present in an individual patient’s tumour. Unlike conventional treatments, these vaccines train the immune system to recognise and attack specific cancer cells, potentially reducing the likelihood of recurrence.
Researchers are also making progress with Exosome Drug Delivery, a technique that uses naturally occurring particles produced by cells to transport medicines directly to targeted areas of the body. Scientists believe this approach could eventually help deliver treatments to difficult-to-reach locations, including parts of the brain.
The report further highlights Quantum Simulation for Drug Discovery, which uses advanced computational models to understand molecular interactions with unprecedented precision. If successful at scale, such systems could shorten drug development timelines and reduce costs, accelerating the arrival of new therapies.
Together, these technologies point towards a future in which medicine becomes increasingly personalised, predictive and precise.
Emerging Technologies 2026 Aim to Tackle Climate and Resource Challenges
Many of the technologies featured in the report are aimed at addressing environmental pressures and resource constraints.
One example is PFAS Destruction, designed to eliminate so-called “forever chemicals” that can persist in water supplies and ecosystems for decades. Traditional treatment methods often struggle to break down these substances, but emerging approaches are showing promising results.
Another notable innovation is Precision Fermentation, which uses microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria to produce ingredients, chemicals and materials more efficiently than conventional manufacturing methods. The technology has applications across food production, pharmaceuticals and industrial manufacturing while requiring fewer natural resources.
Such advances reflect a growing effort to decouple economic growth from resource-intensive production systems.
Emerging Technologies 2026 Reveal the Next Frontier of AI and Computing
Artificial intelligence continues to evolve beyond today’s machine-learning models.
The report highlights World Models, a new class of AI systems capable of building sophisticated representations of physical environments. By combining multiple forms of data, these systems may help machines better predict outcomes, plan actions and interact with the real world. Applications could range from robotics and autonomous vehicles to industrial automation.
At the same time, advances in quantum computing are forcing researchers to rethink cybersecurity.
One response is Lattice-Based Cryptography, a form of encryption designed to remain secure even against future quantum computers. As quantum machines become more powerful, such technologies may play a crucial role in protecting financial systems, government infrastructure and personal data.
A Future That Is More Local, Personal and Resilient
Viewed individually, each of these technologies addresses a specific challenge. Together, however, they reveal a broader trend.
Energy generation is becoming more distributed. Healthcare is becoming more personalised. Manufacturing is becoming more efficient. Critical resources are moving closer to the people who need them.
The World Economic Forum notes that scientific breakthroughs alone are not enough. Infrastructure, regulation, investment and public trust will ultimately determine whether these innovations achieve widespread adoption. Technologies that perform well in laboratories often face significant hurdles when scaled to real-world conditions.
Yet the report offers a glimpse of a future that looks markedly different from today’s systems—one where energy, healthcare and essential resources are more accessible, adaptable and resilient.
The coming decade may reveal whether these emerging technologies remain promising experiments or become the foundations of everyday life.
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