Partial broadband restoration starts after five days

Following a complete internet blackout for five days, the government ordered restoring only broadband internet connections from yesterday evening, on a priority basis.

Later, at night, broadband users from some areas in the capital informed that they have their internet connections back, but they were unable to use social media.

According to the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, areas well known as financial, industrial, export-import, utility and emergency services, diplomatic, IT, media and some other crucial services hubs will get back their internet connections on a priority basis.

State Minister for the ministry Zunaid Ahmed Palak told in a press briefing yesterday that the partial restoration was on a trial basis.

Priority sector firms outside the common hubs will also get their broadband connections back soon as the engineering teams repaired most of the damaged cable infrastructure hit by terrorists, said ministry officials.

In cases of delays, organisations may contact their internet service provider and the regulator, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, the officials added.

Broadband users will have to wait more for using social media, as the government was prioritising based on the urgency and need.

SM Mannan Kochi, president of the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told TBS that apparel exporters provided a list of their industrial areas for priority broadband internet restoration alongside their demand for full internet in the ports.

State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak assured them of restoring internet as per their need by yesterday night, said Kochi.

Amid a student protest the government halted mobile internet services from Thursday morning, citing the dire need for prevention of provocative misinformation.

At 9pm on Thursday, broadband internet also went completely down, leaving Bangladesh disconnected from the world online alongside halting daily life and chocking the lifelines of the significantly digitalised economy.

The government, after the curfew from Friday midnight that helped restore law and order situation, later blamed the terrorist attacks on many public and private facilities including internet infrastructure.

When mobile internet will be restored, is still unknown to telecom officials.

Bangladesh has over 14 crore internet connections, of which 12.7 crore are mobile internet connections and the rest are provided by broadband internet service providers.