Tehran has begun installing loudspeakers in major city squares to help inform the public during emergencies when authorities cut internet access, a city council member said on Saturday.
“With internet outages during crises, we must use loudspeakers for public alerts,” said Mehdi Babaei, a member of Tehran’s City Council. “A number of these loudspeakers have been installed in main squares and the work is still ongoing.”
Babaei said the system is designed to function both in normal and emergency conditions. “These systems will play the call to prayer during routine times,” he said. “In crises, we need to decide how to use them for public announcements.”
He said mobile networks could also be disrupted during wartime. “In the 12-day war, the communications ministry had to limit internet access at times,” he said. “We may even have to temporarily block mobile phones. So we need different ways to alert people.”
“These systems can play both sirens and voice messages,” he said. “It depends on what city managers or crisis teams decide during emergencies.”
During last month's 12-day war, the Iranian government imposed a widespread internet blackout across the country, cutting off mobile networks and home internet services for millions.
The shutdown left people unable to access information, contact family members, or carry out basic tasks such as banking and navigation.
Monitoring group NetBlocks said it was the most severe connectivity crisis since the November 2019 protests.
