What really happened to the internet in CHT?

Internet disruptions in some areas of the Chattogram Hill Tracks (CHT) amid the ongoing unrest were not because of any regulatory or government instruction. Instead, it was due to fire-damaged optical fibre cables and power outages, said the government and the telecom regulator today.

The Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology in a statement said, "The information that the government shut internet in the CHT in the backdrop of the ongoing tension is false. The Internet is available there."

"No instruction to shut the internet was given. No one can show evidence that the internet was off for a long time in the CHT or in any other area," the ministry's adviser Nahid Islam told reporters in the morning after visiting different flood-affected areas in Feni.

He also suggested that the relevant authorities verify the authenticity of the allegation of willful internet disruptions.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), in the afternoon clarified that both the mobile network and fixed broadband internet services have been disrupted in Khagrachhari and Rangamati districts amid the ongoing clashes.

A day-long clash occurred in Dighinala, Khagrachhari on Thursday leading to damages to local telecommunications infrastructure.

A fire incident around 4pm on Thursday resulted in the damage of optical fibre cables belonging to Summit Communications Limited and Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL), causing 16 towers of mobile operator Robi to go offline, according to a BTRC press release.

Robi, which has about 150 towers in the district, was unable to conduct immediate repairs due to the tense situation. By Friday, the telecom operator  managed to restore 14 of the affected towers, while repairs to two towers were still pending. The company expects all sites to be operational soon, according to the BTRC statement.

Robi officials stated that Dighinala and surrounding areas experienced connectivity issues on Thursday night, which were restored by Friday. However, a storm on Friday night caused a power outage, and after the 8-hour backup power was depleted, the network went offline again on Sunday morning. Service resumed once electricity was restored at noon.

On the other hand, Teletalk's service has also been affected in Khagrachari. Out of its 72 towers in the district, 29 were currently out of service, with 23 towers offline due to power disconnections by the Power Development Board (PDB) and six others due to various technical reasons.

The BTRC said despite the unrest, broadband internet services in Khagrachhari and Rangamati remain mostly operational.

However, damage to internet cables and unstable electricity in some areas has left some customers without services.

Internet Service Providers were actively working to restore connections through network repairs and generator support, leading to a gradual reinstatement of broadband services, the BTRC release said.

BTRC, too, emphasised that no directive has been issued to shut down mobile networks or broadband services during the unrest.

The commission expresses regret to customers for the temporary inconveniences caused by the ongoing situation and assures them that efforts are being made to restore full services as quickly as possible.