Iran’s internet blackout is 46 days old, and is now among the longest ever recorded.
Web traffic in the country is around 1% of prewar levels; Starlink is blocked using military-grade jamming, Tom’s Hardware reported, and possession of a terminal is a crime anyway.
The impact on Iran’s economy is significant: Online businesses are hamstrung, with one bookseller telling the Financial Times that his sales had fallen more than 95%; a fashion retailer gave comparable numbers.
The government-sanctioned National Information Network, consisting of whitelisted sites such as banking applications and domestic messaging platforms, is overwhelmed by demand, and does not offer the tools businesses need, while many users are wary of it for privacy reasons.