“A nationwide telecoms blackout is now in effect,” Netblocks, a group that monitors internet access, revealed.
“We’re now observing national connectivity at 14% of ordinary levels,” it stated. The group added that the situation “appears consistent with the intentional disconnection of service.”
The crackdown began earlier this month, slowing or cutting high-speed internet across many areas. Additionally, phone services are also affected because they use the same fibre lines.
According to Netblocks, physically pulling the plug on fibre internet would “therefore also shut down mobile and fixed-line telephone services”.
“It may turn out that disconnecting internet access while keeping phone service available will take some trial and error,” it continued.
This comes as earlier this month, Balkh provincial spokesperson Attaullah Zaid revealed fibre internet was banned in the province by order of its leader.
“This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the same restrictions have also been reported in several northern and southern provinces.
Despite reports claiming Roshan, Etisalat, Afghan Wireless and Afghan Telecom had previously informed customers that services would be “temporarily” halted following directives from government authorities, the blackout will have a severe impact on the telecom companies in the region.
With fibre-optic connections shut down in many provinces, providers are losing revenue from both internet and phone services since calls often run through the same fibre backbone.
Alongside this, disruptions not only cut off customers but also make it harder for operators to manage networks, route traffic and carry out routine maintenance.
In 2024, Kabul launched a 9,350-kilometre fibre optic network, which was largely built by former US-backed governments, to bring the country closer to the rest of the world, however, now, the blackout also undermines the country’s fibre optic network, possibly damaging future incentives for investment and breaking customer trust.
Additionally, telecom companies are also forced to operate under increasing political control.
With the Taliban able to order service suspensions at will, providers are seen to have little autonomy, impacting customer support.
As of now, there have been no public statements from the major Afghan telecom companies regarding the nationwide blackout.
However, the Taliban has justified the shutdown by claiming it is to prevent ‘immorality,’ but this has not been officially addressed by operators in the region.
Alongside this, The Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA), the government agency responsible for regulating the country’s telecom industry, has also not issued any public communications regarding the blackout.
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