Comments for

Iran's Mobile SMS Up & Running; Will Twitter Start to Lose the Green Hues?

2009-07-02T22:08:43Z

According to a report today from the BBC, Iranians are able to text message one another for the first time since the day before the presidential elections.

SMS service, which political dissidents had used to spread messages and organize protests, has been restricted since June 11, causing many Iranians to use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other social sites to broadcast and communicate.

]]> The BBC report stated that, according to Iranian news outlets, SMS capabilities are now unblocked but that users are experiencing massive technical problems. Some messages as old as three weeks were just now being received, and some messages were delivered multiple times.

Iran's broken digital communication infrastructure caused many Iranians to turn to services such as Twitter, using proxies to work around government restrictions for web use. Twitter became so integral to Iranians' communication, particularly with the wider global community, that the U.S. State Department asked Twitter to postpone scheduled maintenance which would have occurred in the immediate aftermath of the election and resultant protests. Other services rushed to add Persian translation features.

Hopefully, the unblocking of text messaging in Iran is a sign that communication channels are returning to normal. So, does this mean that everyone's new favorite color, "Solidarity Green," will begin to fade away from social web avatars sometime soon? Once the country and its government emerge from crisis mode, what news will come from Iran, and what will the Internet have to say about it?

Comment from Over The Counter on 2010-08-29

2010-08-30T04:34:28Z

I would hate to live in Iran. I realy feel for the people over there.

Comment from Laser Whitening on 2010-08-29

2010-08-30T04:28:43Z

I completely concur with the previous comments, at least they have some form of 20th Century know how.

Comment from EraseBoard on 2010-08-29

2010-08-30T04:23:49Z

But the government still has control over the digital communication infrastructure. But still, the Iranians can communicate with each other. Something is better then nothing.

Comment from kitchenaid refrigerator on 2010-08-24

2010-08-24T11:27:51Z

its not fair to give sms service to people just after the elections, for sure twitter will replace sms in the future and the public opinion will spread thru it

Comment from Wireless Headphones on 2010-08-19

2010-08-19T23:31:52Z

Looks like Iran is making some headway by letting its people interact with each other using SMS.

Comment from ProMedia on 2010-08-02

2010-08-03T03:16:47Z

Now I understand why there is so much kaos in Iran. I never knew that the Iranians were not allowed to sms each other. i hope now there will be better communications, for the good of all, between everyone.

Comment from Diesel Jeans on 2010-05-10

2010-05-10T11:42:56Z

I pray everything for the best for Iranian and Government..

Comment from Skullcandy Headphones on 2010-05-07

2010-05-07T21:38:56Z

I am agree with other commentators. Communication is something that people cant live without.

Comment from Home Stereo System on 2010-05-07

2010-05-07T21:37:03Z

I am glad to know that Iranian can communicate well again because communication is very important. I think twitter will lose some traffic from Iran :).

Comment from Sennheiser Headphones on 2010-05-07

2010-05-07T21:33:34Z

Being able to communicate is a human right. Iran Government can't just block sms or phone like that. Blocking people from communication with their family or colleagues will just make people mad. That will not solve the problem.
Wishing all the best...

Comment from Frontline Plus Dogs on 2010-05-07

2010-05-07T21:26:46Z

Yeah, the government're very tricky sometimes. When they are afraid of huge protest, they will try to block the communication, so people will having trouble to communicate and arrange things necessary. Well, I notice from the post date it happened a year ago, I wish Iranian can communicate via sms again now. All the best.

Comment from LAMB Shoes on 2010-05-07

2010-05-07T21:19:42Z

I feel sorry for Iranians for having such troubles. I can't imagine how's the life without being able to communicate with our family and friends. I hope the situation in Iran is alot better now.

Comment from Helin on 2009-08-20

2009-08-20T19:02:27Z

Good thank :)

Comment from hamada on 2009-08-13

2009-08-13T16:41:56Z

jfdjfjfjfjff

Comment from Sesli Chat on 2009-07-03

2009-07-04T02:15:46Z

i don't know if blocking communication is a good thing, but in this case seeing what would happen if the communication made loose, i cannot imagine what iran would be with all the chaos that could happen.

Comment from Oncle Tom on 2009-07-02

2009-07-03T05:25:23Z

It's odd but I think since Michael Jackson death, we talk less and less about Iran. At least, with people I follow it started to decrease since this time. Is it representative of the general trend?

Nearly all people with a green avatar are back to normal ... and I see less news about life in Iran. Not sure it's nice: it would mean we react on Twitter with emotions and less with our head.

Comment from Perlengkapan Bayi on 2009-07-02

2009-07-03T02:01:51Z

perlengkapan bayi

Comment from arn on 2009-07-02

2009-07-03T00:02:40Z

"Some messages as old as three weeks were just now being received, and some messages were delivered multiple times"

Is this not a ploy for the government to identify the people/persons against the government? Sorry if I am getting paranoid - but it best to replace SIMS at this difficult time, what do you think?

Comment from Pavlo Zahozhenko on 2009-07-02

2009-07-02T23:23:29Z

Twitter is an SMS replacement (it's Direct Messages feature, in particular), but SMS is not Twitter's replacement, as Twitter can be used for direct communication, narrowcasting and broadcasting.
Thus, Iranians who felt the fresh air of Twitter will continue to use it. Besides, they cannot be sure SMS infrastructure won't be disabled in future, so Twitter seems to be more reliable (and independent from government!) service.

Comment from Chanda @ BizDharma on 2009-07-02

2009-07-02T22:49:15Z

As the post itself says, iran updates via twitter were more followed by people across the globe, so it doesnt seem that twitter usage will slow down just because the SMS usage has been unblocked.