Who is still connected to the internet in Iran?published at 01:21 BST
Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian
Iran has been under a near-total internet outage since the war began on 28 February.
Iranian authorities often cite reasons such as protecting the country from cyberattacks to restrict internet access.
But these measures also limit the flow of information among citizens and make it harder for those who rely on the internet to provide for themselves and their families.
Those who remain connected can be broadly divided into two groups: those who have been granted access, and those paying a lot.
The BBC understands that the first group mainly consists of officials, pro-establishment users, journalists, and more recently, some academics and university students.
Some in the first group stay connected with authorised SIM cards and selective institutional access.
The second group is mostly ordinary citizens paying a lot to keep their connections, using satellite internet such as Starlink, or connections routed through it.
Internet access via Starlink is being sold at around $6 (£4.50) per gigabyte – a high price in a country where the average monthly salary is estimated to be between $200 and $300.
Using Starlink in Iran can lead to up to two years in prison, and authorities have reportedly confiscated hundreds of devices since the war began.
Image source, Reuters
