We'll tell you how much a minute of communication in Tehran now costs.
Iran has been experiencing a near-total internet shutdown for several weeks now—the longest in the country's history. The restrictions began shortly after US and Israeli airstrikes in late February and quickly escalated into a widespread digital lockdown, affecting millions of people.
According to network traffic analysis, the bulk of connections disappeared on the morning of February 28. However, the country technically remained connected to the global network: IPv4 routes continue to propagate, allowing authorities to selectively grant access to individual users and organizations. Experts call this approach a "stealth shutdown"—the infrastructure remains, but access to it is strictly controlled.
A similar situation arose in January, when, amid protests over the economic crisis, authorities shut down almost all communication channels. Traffic began to gradually recover only ten days later, but the network was unable to fully function. In February, the system remained unstable: connections were dropped, services were intermittent, and in mid-month, an additional routing failure temporarily worsened the situation.
The current shutdown has proven even more severe. Even the small amount of permitted traffic that remains on the "white list" has been regularly declining. Sharp drops were recorded on March 2, 5, and 15—the latter coincided with increased scrutiny of users sharing network access.
Individual government and corporate networks also periodically disappear from global routing. The major oil and gas company, Pars Oil & Gas Company, was completely offline for nearly ten days. The network of the state-owned IRIB broadcaster went down for several hours in early March, and one of the largest fixed-line operators experienced brief instability that even led to a brief restoration of service.
Despite occasional bursts of activity, overall traffic volume remains below one percent of normal levels. Amid ongoing hostilities and government pressure, digital isolation is exacerbating the situation for citizens. People are losing the ability to contact loved ones, coordinate actions during a threat, and transmit information outside the country. At the same time, a shadow market for internet access is developing, with extremely high prices.
Judging by the current dynamics, a return to previous connectivity levels is unlikely in the near future. The restrictions are directly related to the political situation and, according to experts, are likely to remain in place for as long as the government's current policies persist.
Iran has been experiencing a near-total internet shutdown for several weeks now—the longest in the country's history. The restrictions began shortly after US and Israeli airstrikes in late February and quickly escalated into a widespread digital lockdown, affecting millions of people.
According to network traffic analysis, the bulk of connections disappeared on the morning of February 28. However, the country technically remained connected to the global network: IPv4 routes continue to propagate, allowing authorities to selectively grant access to individual users and organizations. Experts call this approach a "stealth shutdown"—the infrastructure remains, but access to it is strictly controlled.
A similar situation arose in January, when, amid protests over the economic crisis, authorities shut down almost all communication channels. Traffic began to gradually recover only ten days later, but the network was unable to fully function. In February, the system remained unstable: connections were dropped, services were intermittent, and in mid-month, an additional routing failure temporarily worsened the situation.
The current shutdown has proven even more severe. Even the small amount of permitted traffic that remains on the "white list" has been regularly declining. Sharp drops were recorded on March 2, 5, and 15—the latter coincided with increased scrutiny of users sharing network access.
Individual government and corporate networks also periodically disappear from global routing. The major oil and gas company, Pars Oil & Gas Company, was completely offline for nearly ten days. The network of the state-owned IRIB broadcaster went down for several hours in early March, and one of the largest fixed-line operators experienced brief instability that even led to a brief restoration of service.
Despite occasional bursts of activity, overall traffic volume remains below one percent of normal levels. Amid ongoing hostilities and government pressure, digital isolation is exacerbating the situation for citizens. People are losing the ability to contact loved ones, coordinate actions during a threat, and transmit information outside the country. At the same time, a shadow market for internet access is developing, with extremely high prices.
Judging by the current dynamics, a return to previous connectivity levels is unlikely in the near future. The restrictions are directly related to the political situation and, according to experts, are likely to remain in place for as long as the government's current policies persist.
