Mobile internet restored after 10 days; Facebook, TikTok representatives summoned on 31 July

Here's what Palak said:

• Mobile internet restored at 3pm today.
• Users say they cannot access YouTube.
• Users to get 5GB bonus valid for three days.
• Outage caused by damage to data centres and cables, not intentional.
• Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Tiktok remain restricted.
• Decision on social media platforms on 31 July.

Mobile internet services were restored around 3pm today (28 July).

Mobile internet users, however, said that they are not being able to access YouTube. The popular video-based social media platform remained accessible through broadband connections. 

Moreover, TikTok and Meta services, including Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, remained restricted. Respective representatives have been summoned to be present at Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) office on 31 July.

ICT Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak earlier in the day said users of all operators will get 5GB internet bonus which will be valid for the next three days, said the minister while briefing the media following a meeting between the Information and Communication Technology Division, BTRC and Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh today.

He said, "It would take a couple more days to restore the internet if people were to be returned the remaining volume of their data packs which were lapsed during the internet blockout, that is why we decided to allot 5GB bonus for everyone."

He also expressed regret for the inconvenience users suffered due to no internet service.

Regarding removing restrictions on social media platforms Palak said letters were sent to Facebook, TikTok, and other social media platforms yesterday (27 July). In the letter, they were given until 31 July to respond and were asked to be physically present at BTRC office on the same day.

Palak mentioned that the letter indicated non-compliance with the country's constitution and laws, stating, "They have removed very few of the contents we asked them to delete. While extremists' pages remain active, they have taken down 50 pages supported by the Awami League."

Updates regarding the restoration of social media will be provided on 31 July.

All apps will be operational once mobile internet is restored. However, Palak commented that using VPN is risky.

During this time, Secretary of the Posts and Telecommunications Division Dr Muhammad Mushfiqur Rahman, and the BTRC Chairman Engineer Mohiuddin Ahmed were also present.

The National Telecommunication Monitoring Center's DG, the CEOs, and CTOs of Mobile Financial Services like bKash, Nagad, Rocket, and Upay, as well as the mobile operators Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink, and Teletalk, participated in the meeting.

Previously, he claimed the internet was not intentionally shut down but was disrupted due to the burning of three data centres and hundreds of kilometres of cables.

These incidents caused a loss of Tk500 crore in the telecom sector alone and a total loss of hundreds of crores of taka, he added.

He also said that there were attacks at 17 locations in Dhaka Division. "In Mohakhali, three data centres housed 18 IIG systems, which host 70% of the ISP servers, causing the internet disruption. We did not intentionally shut down the internet."

Palak claimed that the disruption was a result of planned sabotage.

"Analysis of mobile operator data from 18 July showed that between 50,000 to 1,00,000 new SIM cards were used in areas including Uttara, Rampura, Mohammadpur, Jatrabari, and Gazipur," he said.

Mobile internet services were shut at night on 17 July and the Mohakhali fires took place in the afternoon on 18 July which was followed by a nationwide broadband internet shutdown from 9:00pm that day.

Earlier, on 18 July, Palak told journalists that the government decided mobile internet restriction for the sake of law and order, blaming antagonist propaganda through "boosting social media contents full of provocative misinformation."

BTRC Chairman Engineer Md Mohiuddin Ahmed said some 4,000 cache servers were active in the country's internet ecosystem and having all those back in service would take 2-4 days.

Unlike Google and some others, the Meta platforms and TikTok users may have to wait more for smooth access as the government eyes their adherence to local demands for the sake of law and order.

Google cache servers were resumed on Thursday evening that restored speed for Youtube, Gmail and all other Google services.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumers' Association urged the government to form an independent enquiry committee to find out the real causes of the unprecedented five-day internet blackout as they are confused about the authenticity of government narrative that the damaged infrastructure alone caused internet blackout.