Islamic Republic’s trick for data manipulation on changing the global statistics regarding the internet service on American monitoring websites
As we’re aware, the Islamic Republic [of Iran] is seeking to deploy a completely internal network [intranet] and replace it with the internet. This was done through different attempts including making native-versions of popular foreign services like Video streaming services, android app stores, gaming servers, clouds; as well as halving the data usage for Iranian services in order to force the users to use the local services due to the high price or bad quality that was made through Iranian filtering service. Now, with the “user protection plan” they’re trying to prepare the Iranian users for a network like the Chinese internet!
In the past years, one of the favorite tricks of the Islamic Republic was referring to the Ookla’s SpeedTest.net service to deceive the world and show the Iranian internet quality in a good and improving status. Iranian regime has deployed several node servers for the speedtest.net service in its DataCenters that are under control and monitoring of the Iranian regime to change the correct stats about the Iranian internet.
Although the Iranian users inside Iran are facing the service disruptions and speed throttling, Iranian authorities refer to the American provider stats and try to silence the dissatisfactions of the Iranian users about the internet quality.
Interesting point is that in order to register a speedtest server [node] you need to register on Ookla’s website, but for that matter, you need a user account and due to the sanctions, all of the Iranian companies were banned from opening a user account there:
Here’s a list of the private and state-controlled servers that were deployed as SpeedTest.net speedtest servers.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1k-Z0qSo451kcBhsVUKI40HTHVmrq7ZRZhYxLJREY8n0/edit?usp=sharing
Here’s a quote from the Iranian ICT minister who refers to SpeedTest.net stats:
“Yesterday, during the ceremony of providing highspeed fiber ports in Mashhad and Qom cities, a speedtest was done and in Mashhad it was 500 mbps and in Qom it almost reached 1 gbps which was very satisfying. With the optical fiber, speed limit would be meaningless and the network infrastructure will be ready for providing any kind of service to people”
On the provided speedtest [above image] and according to the ICT minister, they tested two cities of Qom and Mashhad, but in fact, they conducted speed tests from Shatel ISP [151.240.92/.27] to another data center in these cities Qom and Mash’had which are being used for speed tests.
In his most recent speech, the ICT minister refers to SpeedTest.net stats and claims that the Iranian internet quality is improving:
“According to the stats provided by international websites (speedtest), the average speed of cellular speed in 2022 is 29 mbps and Iran, with the speed of 24mbps stands at a good average point and it can even be better. Also, the ping situation is better than the speed, average cellular ping is 29ms and Iranian cellular ping is 30ms. But the broadband connection situations are not good, Iranian speed average is 10mbps which is far lower than the global average that is 59mbps with 30ms ping.
One question that arises here is why an American company should provide services to Islamic Republic governmental and private companies to manipulate the stats with it and provide it to Iranian users and the world?
Links:
https://www.ict.gov.ir/fa/album/3172/
