Could 'mesh networks' help overcome authoritarians' internet blocks?
In authoritarian countries, the state is often either monitoring online communications or has the ability to shut them down in a political crisis. But there
In authoritarian countries, the state is often either monitoring online communications or has the ability to shut them down in a political crisis. But there are other ways that activists can keep in touch. Iran, January 2026: During some of the country's largest protests in decades, the Iranian government shut down the internet. US-based internet monitor, IODA — short for Internet Outage Detection and Analysis — registered almost no data traffic at all and US internet infrastructure analyst Doug Madory described it as "one of the largest government-directed communication shutdowns in history." During that time, the Iranian government killed and arrested thousands of people but to this day, nobody knows exactly how many. Estimates of the death toll have been anywhere between 7,000 and 40,000, though many observers suspect its closer to the higher number. The lack of clarity is partially because the internet blackout meant that communication with the outside world was all but impossible. The Iranian government's behavior is not unusual. In Russia, Belarus, Myanmar and Sudan, particularly when governments fear resistance, the internet has become a weapon — because those who cannot communicate cannot organize. Radio-powered networks One solution for these sorts of communications crises could be what is known as a "LoRa mesh network." Mobile phones may not function if the system overloads in crises or concerts; mesh networks don't overload like that Image: Laurent Zabulon/ABACA/picture alliance LoRa, which is short for "long range," is based on a simple principle invented for industrial purposes. Small radio modules, also known as LoRa transmitters, have regularly been embedded into physical silicon chips that are used for industrial devices that connect to the internet, things such as smoke alarms, smart water or power meters and environmental sensors — basically any device that requires long battery life and long-range data transmission but only for small amounts of data.
To transmit information, these devices use license-free radio frequencies of the sort available for civilian use, the same frequencies used by weather stations and garage door openers. To form an internet-free communications network, users first need to purchase a transmitting device that uses LoRa; these can cost anything from about €30 ($35) to €80 ($91). Then users can connect their phone to the device using special software. The LoRa devices transmit encrypted data packets over a distance of several kilometers. Each device automatically forwards messages to the next one, like a baton being passed through a crowd. If any single device fails, the message finds the next nearby device, via a different route. This means the communications network that is formed can repair itself. The result of all of the above is what is known as a "LoRa mesh network." The different transmitting devices are called "nodes" in the network and because there is no central node, there's no way the communications network can be shut down. The radio modules can be kept hidden and powered either by batteries or a small solar panel. Iran reconnects — but can everyone browse freely? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Only smaller messages, no pictures The major disadvantage of a network like this is that, unlike the ordinary internet, users can only exchange smaller messages, with a maximum size of around 237 bytes, equivalent to a short text message. On the other hand, the less data transmitted, the longer the distance it can travel, the less power it consumes, and the less likelihood the radio transmission could be tracked.
The BriefWire