Eutelsat Communications says Iran is to blame for deliberate interference on two of its satellites.
In a statement issued by the Paris-based operator, Eutelsat said the interference began on September 26 and had affected the “transmission of several digital TV and radio channels broadcasting in Persian from outside of Iran, as well as other channels”.
Broadband TV News understands the satellites that have been impacted by the jamming are Hotbird 13C – located at Eutelsat’s prime 13 degrees East neighbourhood – and Eutelsat 7B (7 degrees East).
Using a specially designed interference system, Eutelsat concluded that “the uplink transmissions of all these interfering carriers originated in Iran”.
Eutelsat is working along diplomatic lines and is “ using all appropriate national and international procedures”. It has also written to the relevant Iranian authorities, reminding them that intentional jamming is explicitly prohibited by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations.
Its technical team has been with affected customers to mitigate the impact of the interference on service as much as possible.
Tensions have been running high in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been taken into Police custody for violating the country’s strict dress code.
It is not the first time that Iran has been implicated in the jamming of satellite broadcasts. In 2012, BBC, France 24, Deutsche Welle and the Voice of America were all hit by jamming believed to have originated in Iran and Syria.
