Afghanistan faces digital blackout as Taliban cuts internet access to prevent ‘vice’
Mobile phone and internet signals are less than 1 per cent of ordinary levels, in line with an ‘intentional disconnection’, watchdog says
On Monday night, mobile phone signal and internet service gradually weakened until connectivity was less than 1 per cent of ordinary levels, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks.
“We are blind without phones and internet,” said 42-year-old shopkeeper Najibullah in Kabul. “All our business relies on mobiles. The deliveries are with mobiles. It’s like a holiday, everyone is at home. The market is totally frozen.”
In the minutes before it happened, a government official warned that fibre optic would be cut, affecting mobile phone services too. “Eight to nine thousand telecommunications pillars” would be shut down, he said, adding that the blackout would last “until further notice”.