Posted on

Bangladesh cellular shutdown

 

Bangladesh has shut down mobile internet across swathes of the country.

For the last week students in the capital Dhaka have protested against poor road safety after two teenagers were killed by a speeding bus.

On Saturday the protests took a violent turn in Dhaka’s with more than 100 people injured.

Witnesses said police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators.

The country’s highest circulated newspaper Prothom Alo said 3G and 4G internet services have been shut down for 24 hours since late Saturday, shortly after the violence broke out.

Social media has been filled with comments from Bangladeshis unable to access the internet via their phones, although wireless and wired networks appear to be unhindered.

Jahirul Haq, chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC), told AFP they received a “decision” from the government. But he did not clarify what was the government order was. He said he would comment further on the situation later Sunday.

A senior telecom official who asked for anonymity said: “The BTRC has slowed down the internet at the order of the government.”

France-Presse, A. (2018, August 05). Bangladesh Snaps Mobile Internet After Students’ Protest Turns Violent. Retrieved August 5, 2018, from https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bangladesh-shuts-down-mobile-internet-to-tackle-teen-protests-1895408

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.