Per Ghalam News and multiple Twitterers in Tehran, the SMS (Short Message Service) system in Iran has been taken down, just hours before polls open for Friday’s presidential election.
The Ghalam News report, translated from Persian, says that the popular network “was cut off throughout the country.” The action occurred just before midnight local time, less than nine hours before the start of elections. “All walks of life from all over the country” are discovering that “messages on different cell phone networks will not send.”
The disruption in communication occurred after reformist candidates have been increasingly using Twitter and text messaging to rally support, per the Wall Street Journal. Approximatey 110 millions SMS messages have been sent per day leading up to the election, according to The Tehran Times.
One Twitter account recently reminded people not to wear reformist color green when it heads to the polls, as the government has threatened not to allow such people to vote. It asked to spread the word via SMS but at least for now that is not possible.
GreenMousavi NO GREEN on Thursday & Friday … no car posters … no slogans … NOTHING! sms/email this to everyone u know! bahane dasteshun nadim!
The Twitter account of candidate MirHossein Mousavi, viewed as the greatest challenge to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election bid, immediately tweeted out the issue.
mousavi1388 #IranElection Iran’s SMS system is take down! News from within Iran and also confirmed by GhalamNews http://is.gd/Z5d9 mousavi1388 @GreenMousavi #IranElection Iran’s SMS system is take down! News from within Iran and also confirmed by GhalamNewshttp://is.gd/Z5d9
Other Twitterers in Tehran confirmed the disruption in SMS service.
bahadorn (Tehran, Iran) SMS is down. I confirm that about my IRTCI & Irancell. #iranelection Shaahin (Tehran, Iran) SMS system is down, a few hours before the election! reza_nedaei (Tehran, Iran) SMS service of all operators had been suspended by the government due to election, it seems they are preparing for CHEAT in election mahdi (Tehran, Iran) Does anybody in Tehran have problem with sending SMS via MCI? mahdi (Tehran, Iran) RT @mousavi1388: #IranElection Iran’s SMS system is take down! News from within Iran and also confirmed by GhalamNews http://is.gd/Z5d9 y_shar (Tehran, Iran) Sh!t! RT @mousavi1388 #IranElection Iran’s SMS system is take down! News from within Iran and also confirmed by GhalamNews http://is.gd/Z5d9
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