Iran’s internet blackout drains up to $80 million a day, official says
Iran's internet shutdown is causing tens of millions of dollars in daily losses to the country’s economy, according to the head of the Knowledge-Based Economy Commission at Iran’s Chamber of Commerce.
Afshin Kolahi said the direct cost of internet outages is between $30 million and $40 million per day,
Iran International reported.
Including indirect losses, Kolahi also said the total impact rises to roughly $70 million to $80 million daily.
He compared the scale of the losses to major infrastructure projects.
Building a bridge such as the B1 bridge, which was hit in an airstrike during the war, costs around $15 million to $20 million, he said.
Meanwhile, the cost of constructing each megawatt of power plant capacity ranges from $1 million to $3 million.
Kolahi said the economic impact of internet shutdowns is effectively equivalent to losing multiple infrastructure projects every day.
“In practice, internet shutdowns mean losing the equivalent of four B1 bridges and two medium-sized power plants every day,” he told the outlet.
Squeezing their own economy.