As internet restrictions persist in Iran, popular Telegram breaking news channels are aggressively marketing VPN services designed specifically to bypass the heavily restricted domestic "national internet."
Amidst ongoing internet restrictions and reliance on localized networks in Iran, popular Farsi-language breaking news channels are utilizing their massive platforms to advertise specialized Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Channels like خبرفوری ࡆ اخبارفوری مذاکره ࡆ جنگ فوری—which typically focus on urgent military and geopolitical alerts—are leveraging the severe connectivity issues by selling access to tools explicitly designed for the restricted domestic intranet.
In an urgent broadcast viewed by over 23,000 users, the channel claimed that "finally, high-speed VPN is available with the national internet." Pitching a service dubbed @UPZTOP, the channel promised "instant and fast delivery" and a connection with "not a single second of disconnection." Highlighting the severity of the country's network landscape, the advertisement insisted that "under current conditions, the only reliable and tested service by us is right here."
A second advertisement, broadcast by the same channel and amplified by the aligned aggregator خبرفوری جنگ🚨اخبارفوری امریکا فوری to over 36,000 combined viewers, took a markedly different, more candid marketing approach. Selling an account named @v2reyng01 restricted to "national net only," the promoters acknowledged the reality of Iran's digital infrastructure.
"An entirely honest point: We don't say we never have disconnections or quality drops; because that claim isn't realistic," the advertisement stated. Instead, the sellers promised survival through the rolling disruptions, boasting that they are "usually the last place to disconnect, and the first place to reconnect." These promotions highlight a lucrative secondary market where news aggregators monetize their audiences' desperation for unrestricted global internet access during periods of national network throttling.
The source material consists entirely of sponsored advertisements placed within Telegram channels that otherwise ostensibly report on breaking news and military developments. This highlights a common monetization strategy among Iranian Telegram channels, where administrators leverage the high traffic generated by political tension to sell circumvention tools for state-imposed internet censorship. The language faithfully translates the original Farsi marketing rhetoric, including the specific term 'national internet,' which refers to Iran's National Information Network (intranet).