{"id":5659,"date":"2025-12-07T08:56:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T08:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/?p=5659"},"modified":"2025-12-18T08:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T08:59:10","slug":"network-and-policy-monitoring-november-2025-costly-internet-for-all-and-free-internet-for-a-few","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/2025\/12\/07\/network-and-policy-monitoring-november-2025-costly-internet-for-all-and-free-internet-for-a-few\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s Two-Tier Internet: High Cost for Public, Free Access for Elite, Deepening Digital Divide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In November 2025, Iran\u2019s internet policy accelerated its trajectory toward a system defined by high costs for the majority, and privileged, unfiltered access for a select few. This widening gap is the primary driver of a deepening digital divide, structural discrimination, and expanding state surveillance. Rather than addressing the root causes of network issues, authorities focused on punitive measures and data centralization, reinforcing the internet\u2019s transformation from a public utility into a guarded, two-tiered commodity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>The most critical developments in Iranian internet policy and network status during the November 2025 reporting period include:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Access Costs &amp; Inequality:\u00a0<\/b><b>20 - 29% price hikes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Mobile data packages saw average price increases of 20-29%, placing an additional burden on the majority of users. This signals another step in a years-long policy of raising access costs, removing affordable packages, and pushing users onto the National Information Network (NIN) , all without meaningful improvements to network quality.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Control &amp; Misdirected Policy:\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evasion of Root Causes: Parliament launched an investigation into the $200\u2013500 million black market for VPNs rather than addressing the restrictive filtering policies that created the market.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Return of Punitive Legislation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The controversial \u201cCountering False Content\u201d bill resurfaced, proposing harsh penalties such as imprisonment, fines, and platform suspensions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Surveillance &amp; Centralization:\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expanded Data Aggregation: Data centralization is accelerated through major government projects like IranPars, electronic ID documents, and GNAF\u2019s 16% expansion, all taking place\u00a0 in the absence of a comprehensive data protection law.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Network Fragility:\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Network Disruptions:\u00a0 A Cloudflare outage coincided with a breakdown on the Armenia route, sharply revealing the fragility of Iran\u2019s international connectivity and disrupting access for Iranian users.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Mobile Price Hikes widen the Digital Divide\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Iran\u2019s two major mobile operators, Hamrah-e Aval (MCI) and Irancell, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharghdaily.com\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D9%81%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C-298\/1071370-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D8%A6%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B2%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B4-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%AA-%D9%87%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B4%D8%AF\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">announced<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that a new round of price increases for mobile data packages would begin on 2 December 2025, with an average rise of 20 percent. While this rise applies to both international and domestic internet packages, domestic rates remain significantly lower to ensure they stay more accessible. One day later, Rightel also <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/digiato.com\/iran-technology-news\/rightel-increases-internet-package-tariffs-by-20-percent-regarding-rising-costs\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">declared<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that its data packages would become 29 percent more expensive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These hikes align with\u00a0 the Islamic Republic\u2019s broader internet policy: raising\u00a0 access costs and expanding restrictions to steer users toward the NIN. By keeping domestic packages cheaper, the government financially incentivizes the use of the intranet over the global web. \u00a0 This policy shift comes just ten days after the exposure of \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/2025\/11\/24\/investigative-report-november-2025-revealing-the-depth-of-digital-discrimination\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">white SIM cards<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d\u00a0 which provide privileged, unfiltered access to select groups. The result is a dual-layered system: while the general public faces rising costs for restricted access, a specific minority maintains unrestricted connectivity, further widening the country's digital divide.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As ordinary users face rising costs, the removal of affordable packages, and the burdens of extensive filtering, these price increases place additional pressure on the majority of society. Meanwhile, the preferential treatment of a small class of users whose roles or behavior align with centers of power continues uninterrupted. This is happening despite the lack of measurable improvement in network quality. Even parliament\u2019s Oversight Office <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peivast.com\/p\/247565\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">confirmed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that the Ministry of ICT fulfilled only 29% of its mandated duties during the first year of the Seventh Development Plan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The latest <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/donya-e-eqtesad.com\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AC%DB%8C%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%84-19\/4229237-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%AE-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%AA#:~:text=%D8%AF%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%A7%DB%8C%20%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF%20%3A%20%DA%AF%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B4%20%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%20%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%B8%DB%8C%D9%85,%DB%B9%DB%B9%20%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%AF%20%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B4%20%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AA%D9%87%20%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) on the ICT sector in summer 2025 shows that more than half of all user complaints relate to service outages, disruptions, and lack of access. Another concerning trend is that, despite expanded fiber-optic coverage and an increase in FTTH\u2019s market share from 4 to 7 percent, fixed broadband has failed to gain a stable foothold, pushing users further toward mobile internet meaning that the new price hikes will hit them even harder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In separate <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharghdaily.com\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D9%81%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C-298\/1071370-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D8%A6%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B2%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B4-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%AA-%D9%87%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B4%D8%AF\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">statements<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, operators attributed the increases to structural factors including rising network maintenance and development costs, inflation, currency fluctuations, sanctions, and the need for major infrastructure investment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Filterwatch\u2019s earlier <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/2024\/11\/30\/investigative-report-november-2024-internet-from-a-public-infrastructure-to-a-luxury-commodity\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> showed that from winter 2022 to summer 2024, both fixed and mobile data packages experienced repeated price hikes, with a formal 34 percent increase in mobile internet prices adopted in January 2024. Meanwhile, operators have reduced the availability of high-volume packages and limited package diversity especially under policies like CRA <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wiki\/regulation-no-266-of-the-communications-regulatory-authority-cra\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Resolution 266<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which differentiates domestic and international traffic effectively raising user costs and transforming the internet from a public utility into a luxury commodity.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Ignoring the Root Cause: Investigating VPNs Over Filtering Policy<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The recent remarks by the Speaker of Parliament on the supposed balance between filtering, governance, and regulation in cyberspace underscore the ongoing confusion among policymakers. On one hand, officials including government representatives repeatedly promise the lifting of filtering; on the other, their insistence on \u201cgovernance\u201d and \u201cregulation\u201d of cyberspace leaves no path forward except maintaining extensive censorship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entekhab.ir\/fa\/news\/897934\/%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%81-%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B9-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D9%84%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B1%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%B4%DA%A9%D9%84-%D9%81%D8%B9%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%B5%D8%AD%DB%8C%D8%AD-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B7-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D9%88-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%AC%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B9-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%86%D9%85%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%85-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%B4%DA%A9%D9%86%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D9%87%DA%A9%D8%B1%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%88-%D8%AF%D8%B4%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%A8%DA%A9%D9%87-%D9%85%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D9%85%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%DA%A9%D9%86%D8%AF\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">described<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> last year\u2019s 32-article resolution of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace as the regime\u2019s definitive \u201cgovernance and regulation framework\u201d for the digital sphere. This same document conditions the unblocking of foreign platforms on relocating their servers inside Iran, a requirement that is, in practice, impossible to meet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recent news surrounding the potential unblocking of Telegram further demonstrates the impracticality of demanding that foreign platforms host their data domestically.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On 18 November, Parliament <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharghdaily.com\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-6\/1068147-%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%AC%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87-%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D9%84%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B9-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86%DA%AF-%DA%A9%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%AF\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">announced<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that its negotiating team had concluded initial discussions with Telegram and passed the results of these preliminary agreements to domestic authorities. The matter, they said, now rests with the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, which must decide whether to accept or reject the proposed terms. One week later, MP Rasai <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/donya-e-eqtesad.com\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-62\/4231373-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B4-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%B4%DA%A9%D9%86-%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%87%D9%85-%D9%86%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF-%DA%86%D9%87-%DA%A9%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%B4%DA%A9%D9%86-%D9%85%DB%8C-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B4%D8%AF-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D9%85\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reported<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> citing the Ministry of ICT that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">no foreign platform is willing to host its data inside Iran<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, effectively extinguishing any realistic hope for Telegram being unblocked.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout this period, digital rights <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/donya-e-eqtesad.com\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AC%DB%8C%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%84-19\/4224905-%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B9-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D9%84%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">experts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have repeatedly stressed that any conditional unblocking, tied to the Council\u2019s six governing requirements and the demand that platforms become \u201cgovernable,\u201d fundamentally contradicts principles of free expression and digital privacy. Nevertheless, the Speaker continues to insist that the prospect of unblocking Telegram is still \u201cunder review.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, Mohammad-Jafar Ghaempanah, the President\u2019s Executive Deputy, has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.isna.ir\/news\/1404082414592\/%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%85-%D9%BE%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%8C-%D9%81%D8%B6%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B2%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%B5%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%85-%D9%85%DB%8C-%DA%AF%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%AF\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> plainly that \u201cfiltering decisions are made by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, not the government alone. We can propose, pressure, and argue and we have done all of that but we cannot implement anything unilaterally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amid these unresolved contradictions, Parliament took a new step on 25 November, voting in favor of a plan to investigate the governance of national data gateways and to identify mechanisms that enable circumvention tools such as VPNs effectively launching a formal inquiry into this area.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Filtering policies are the root cause of rent-seeking, discrimination, a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/citna.ir\/node\/328397\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stagnant <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">digital economy, and\u00a0 the $200-500 million VPN black market, imposing heavy costs on nearly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gadgetnews.net\/800682\/vpn-using-statics-in-iran\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">60 million users<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Authorities, however, are focused instead on tracking down the VPN market\u2014in search of the proverbial orange seller\u2014rather than addressing the fundamental restrictive laws.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Return of the Controversial \"Countering False Content Publication in Cyberspace\" Bill<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alongside the news of price hikes, continued filtering, and discriminatory access policies, November also saw the controversial \u201cCombating the Publication of False Content in Cyberspace\u201d bill <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/peivast.com\/p\/247795\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">return<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the government\u2019s agenda. This bill originally withdrawn by the government from parliament in August 2025 under the pretext of \u201cpreserving national cohesion\u201d is now, according to the government spokesperson, back under review as of 12 November, with a special task force examining its various dimensions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While officials claim the bill\u2019s main purpose is to \u201csupport media professionals\u201d and improve accuracy in information dissemination, a look at its earlier draft reveals provisions for harsh penalties including imprisonment, fines, dismissal from public service, and suspension of publishing platforms which have little to do with support and instead clearly reflect an approach of maximum oversight and punitive control. With the bill once again under examination, it remains unclear what changes, if any, the new version will include.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Centralization of National Data and the Expansion of State Surveillance<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In November 2025, several major policies and projects were announced by the Ministry of ICT and the Information Technology Organization initiatives that all point toward greater aggregation of national data, centralization of identity and location information, and expanding the state\u2019s capacity to monitor citizens. Mohammad-Mohsen Sadr, head of the Information Technology Organization, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mehrnews.com\/news\/6641263\/%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B2-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%B2%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%B0%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%DB%8C-%D9%88-%D9%85%D9%85%DB%8C%D8%B2%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%AA%DB%8C\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">revealed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the government\u2019s new plan to create \u201cdigital government ecosystems,\u201d the national \u201cIranPars\u201d project (which converts citizens\u2019 identity documents into electronic records), and new guidelines for establishing cybersecurity operators for government agencies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.isna.ir\/news\/1404081710079\/%D8%B1%D8%B4%D8%AF-%DB%B1%DB%B6-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%AA%DA%A9%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84-%D9%BE%D8%A7%DB%8C%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">announcement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of a 16% increase in the completion of the national spatial information database (G-NAF) is particularly significant. By linking postal codes, geographic coordinates, and descriptive data of locations, this project creates a highly detailed and traceable layer of spatial\u2013identity data accessible to the government.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These centralized, data-driven systems can streamline service delivery, but they also dramatically expand the state\u2019s ability to monitor, intervene in, and analyze citizens\u2019 information. In many countries, similar projects are allowed only under strict data protection laws and the oversight of independent regulatory bodies. In Iran, however, the absence of a comprehensive data protection law leaves initiatives like G-NAF in a gray zone between digital governance and a surveillance-oriented state.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>International Connectivity: Outages and Disruptions in November<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In November 2025, network measurement tools detected limited disruptions in Iran\u2019s internet connectivity. As in the previous month, the longest-running issue was linked to the Tehran\u2013Irancell datacenter\u2014an interruption that has continued since last month, with a low but persistent impact on access to international routes, including the Bing path, as reflected in ArvanCloud\u2019s Radar charts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Two additional developments are noteworthy on Cloudflare\u2019s graphs this month:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>1 \u2014 A sharp drop in Iran\u2019s internet traffic (7\u20139 November)<br \/>\n<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Cloudflare data shows that between 7 and 9 November, Iran\u2019s internet traffic experienced a decline of more than 40 percent. This disruption is clearly visible in the \u201cTotal bytes\u201d and \u201cHTTP bytes\u201d indicators and resulted in a noticeable reduction in speed and quality of access for Iranian users during that period.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response to public questions, Behzad Akbari, CEO of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Company, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/behzad_akbari54\/status\/1987351463706960046?s=20\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cthere is no issue within Iran\u2019s domestic infrastructure, and the drop in traffic was due to a global Cloudflare outage.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> He added that because a significant share of Iranian traffic depends on Cloudflare\u2019s services, the impact of such disruptions is more visible inside Iran.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To verify this claim, Filterwatch consulted an independent Cloudflare expert. The expert provided a different picture: he noted that there had been no global outage on Cloudflare\u2019s network, although the unusual traffic pattern for Iran on Cloudflare Radar was confirmed. According to him, while the number of HTTP requests remained almost constant, the volume of transferred data (bytes) had decreased. Since indicators related to connection tampering\u2014such as TCP resets or timeouts\u2014showed no significant changes, bot traffic remained stable, and no holidays or major events occurred that could explain a sudden behavioral shift, the expert suggested that the anomaly may have resulted from traffic restriction, altered routing, or enforced compression on the Iranian side.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5663\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment_5663\" style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-trends-xy_ir_20251101-20251113.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5663 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-trends-xy_ir_20251101-20251113.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-trends-xy_ir_20251101-20251113.png 1600w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-trends-xy_ir_20251101-20251113-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-trends-xy_ir_20251101-20251113-1024x561.png 1024w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-trends-xy_ir_20251101-20251113-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-trends-xy_ir_20251101-20251113-1536x841.png 1536w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-trends-xy_ir_20251101-20251113-1568x858.png 1568w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment_5663\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" data-caption=\"Cloudflare%20data%20shows%20that%20between%207%20and%209%20November%2C%20Iran%E2%80%99s%20internet%20traffic%20experienced%20a%20decline%20of%20more%20than%2040%20percent\">Loading...<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><b>2 - The 18 November Cloudflare outage and simultaneous disruption on Iran\u2019s Armenia route<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On 18 November, a major outage occurred across Cloudflare\u2019s services due to an unexpected expansion of a configuration file. This incident took platforms such as X, ChatGPT, and numerous other websites offline worldwide and Iranian users were also <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/radar.cloudflare.com\/traffic\/ir?dateStart=2025-11-17&amp;dateEnd=2025-11-19\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">affected<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5668\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment_5668\" style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-volume-xy_ir_20251117-20251119.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5668 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-volume-xy_ir_20251117-20251119.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"636\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-volume-xy_ir_20251117-20251119.png 1600w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-volume-xy_ir_20251117-20251119-300x119.png 300w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-volume-xy_ir_20251117-20251119-1024x407.png 1024w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-volume-xy_ir_20251117-20251119-768x305.png 768w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-volume-xy_ir_20251117-20251119-1536x611.png 1536w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/cloudflare-radar_traffic-volume-xy_ir_20251117-20251119-1568x623.png 1568w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment_5668\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" data-caption=\"The%20global%20Cloudflare%20outage%20on%20November%2018%2C%20which%20also%20affected%20Iranian%20users\">Loading...<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, Behzad Akbari, CEO of the Telecommunications Infrastructure Company, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citna.ir\/news\/328514\/%D9%85%D8%B4%DA%A9%D9%84-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%B9%DB%8C-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B7%D8%B1%D9%81-%D8%B4%D8%AF?q=node\/328514\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">announced<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that in addition to the global Cloudflare disruption, an internet outage had occurred on Iran\u2019s Armenia route that same day, which further affected the country\u2019s international connectivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ArvanCloud\u2019s Radar charts also <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/radar.arvancloud.ir\/?date=1404-08-27&amp;time=12:00\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">show<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> clear signs of disruption in access to international traffic during that period.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5669\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment_5669\" style=\"width: 1614px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-1404-08-27-at-181014.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5669 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-1404-08-27-at-181014.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1614\" height=\"1268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-1404-08-27-at-181014.png 1614w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-1404-08-27-at-181014-300x236.png 300w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-1404-08-27-at-181014-1024x804.png 1024w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-1404-08-27-at-181014-768x603.png 768w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-1404-08-27-at-181014-1536x1207.png 1536w, https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-1404-08-27-at-181014-1568x1232.png 1568w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1614px) 100vw, 1614px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment_5669\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" data-caption=\"On%20November%2018%2C%20alongside%20the%20global%20Cloudflare%20outage%20and%20the%20disruption%20of%20international%20internet%20connectivity%20via%20the%20Armenia%20routes%2C%20ArvanCloud%20Radar%20also%20recorded%20widespread%20disruptions%20in%20access%20to%20international%20routes.\">Loading...<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the past month, Iran\u2019s internet policy has shifted further toward higher costs, stricter controls, and deeper structural inequality, marked by 20\u201330% mobile price hikes and continued privileged, unfiltered access for a select few. Meanwhile, the state accelerated data centralization and revived punitive digital regulations. Network disruptions, including the Armenia-route outage, again revealed the fragility of Iran\u2019s international connectivity. Overall, the current trajectory widens the digital divide and reinforces state surveillance rather than improving access or quality.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In November 2025, Iran\u2019s internet policy accelerated its trajectory toward a system defined by high costs for the majority, and privileged, unfiltered access for a select few. This widening gap is the primary driver of a deepening digital divide, structural discrimination, and expanding state surveillance. Rather than addressing the root causes of network issues, authorities<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/2025\/12\/07\/network-and-policy-monitoring-november-2025-costly-internet-for-all-and-free-internet-for-a-few\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\"Iran\u2019s Two-Tier Internet: High Cost for Public, Free Access for Elite, Deepening Digital Divide\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":5661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[345,346,343,344],"class_list":["post-5659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-network-monitor","tag-data-centralization","tag-digital-divide","tag-internet-price-hikes","tag-state-surveillance","entry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.8 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In November 2025, Iran\u2019s internet policy accelerated its trajectory toward a system defined by high costs for the majority, and privileged, unfiltered access for a select few. 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