Internet shutdown in Iran: The losses and gains of 113 hours of blackout

The internet outage in Iran continues to be more or less ongoing. Officials from the Iranian Chamber of Commerce say that foreign trade has been disrupted, universities, students, and some patients are facing problems, and the process of processing visa applications for Germany has been disrupted.

Despite the announcement of internet reconnection in some provinces, internet outages continue to persist in most parts of Iran, an event that has not only prevented the free flow of information in the country and severely disrupted news gathering and reporting about Iran, but has also faced serious problems in other areas. Domestic websites have spoken to officials and experts in Iran and pointed out some of these damages, from the damages reported by the Iranian Chamber of Commerce to travel service offices. In the most recent statement, Masoud Daneshmand, head of the Chamber of Commerce’s Transportation Commission, told ILNA News Agency: “The internet outage has disabled Iran’s foreign trade.” The official said that the condition for international trade is the exchange of information. If we cannot exchange the desired information in a timely manner, the possibility of international trade will also be lost.

An expert who did not want to be named told DW about international trade and Iranian companies active in this field that some of these companies have access to and use a government-run VPN. He pointed out that other companies can only use fax and telephone facilities to communicate with their customers and partners outside Iran, and said that if this situation continues, these companies will inevitably have to look for other solutions.

Disruption in academic exchanges and difficulties for applicants to study abroad

But the economic sector and activities are not the only sector that has faced difficulties due to the internet outage. Universities and university activities are also affected by this situation. Referring to the problems caused by the internet outage for universities, the president of the University of Tehran said in an interview with ISNA news agency on November 20: “Our universities are international universities and have extensive contacts with the world, and the existence of the internet is necessary for universities.” The president of the University of Tehran, expressing hope for a quick resolution of the problem, announced negotiations with the Ministry of Science to connect to the internet.

Iranian applicants for study at universities abroad are another group of citizens who have been affected by the internet outage, given the specific deadlines for submitting their application, which are mostly done online.

On social networks such as Twitter, some users outside Iran have written about providing assistance to students in contacting universities outside Iran, writing letters and explaining the reasons for delays, and helping them upload the required documents.

Disruption in visa application

Another area where the internet outage has disrupted activities is visa applications for trips outside Iran, such as trips to Germany. The Visametric website, which provides services to Iranian applicants applying for visas from the German Embassy in Iran in cooperation with the German Embassy, ​​states that the company is unable to provide services to applicants until further notice due to the internet outage.

Internet outage and its impact on healthcare

The healthcare sector has not been spared the consequences of the internet outage. One Twitter user wrote about his experience visiting a private hospital in Tehran, where he was told, “We can’t accept social security” due to the internet outage. The user went on to write that even his supplementary insurance was not accepted due to the internet problems, and he was told he had to “pay for everything” “free of charge.”

Approval of prescriptions for specific diseases is one of the services provided by insurance companies. According to insurance companies in Iran, patients who use these services have previously filed medical records with medical records offices or contracted pharmacies to approve the medication, and after receiving a tracking code and filing a medication file, they can go to the pharmacies and receive their medication. According to these documents, all pharmacies are equipped with a drug approval system. Some tweets on social media indicate a disruption in this network. However, when Deutsche Welle contacted several pharmacies in Tehran, this disruption was neither confirmed nor denied.

Internet businesses

Internet businesses or centers whose activities depend on the Internet are also suffering from this situation. Domestic news agencies write about the “significant damage” suffered by startups and small businesses that “have based their work on cyberspace in recent months.”

On the other hand, when browsing social networks, we come across pages of institutions that, for example, hold workshops in various fields, but now, due to the lack of internet access, their activities have been suspended.

Disruptions in Tehran’s air quality forecasting are another issue that should be added to the long list of damages caused by internet outages. Hossein Shahidzadeh, CEO of Tehran Air Quality Control Company, told ISNA that the organization “provides part of its information for weather and air pollution forecasting from global sites and models,” adding: “The disruptions in the country’s internet have prevented us from accessing global information and as a result, we are unable to upload air pollution forecasts for the coming days, wind gusts, and rainfall amounts to our site.”

It is not yet clear how long the complete internet outage in Iran will last. Fars News Agency reported that the internet in Iran is gradually being restored in the country. In its latest tweet, Netblocks writes about a small change in internet access that is being observed; access after 113 hours of blackout. However, according to Netblocks, it is not yet clear whether this restoration is permanent.