Brief internet blackout drill on Monday night

The telecom regulator will briefly cut off internet connections in certain areas of Dhaka as part of a security drill after midnight Monday. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) decided to exercise the blackout operation to tackle any emergency situation like the Holey Artisan Bakery attack, where terrorists used internet connection to communicate and upload pictures of the victims. BTRC and internet service providers held a meeting on Monday where they agreed to shut down internet operation to handle attacks like that of July 1. “The blackout will last 10-15 minutes,” BTRC Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood told the Dhaka Tribune. “It will not affect the subscribers as the operation will start from Monday midnight.” Asked if it would be harassment for the subscribers, the BTRC chief explained: “Whenever fire drills are held at factories, their operations are put on hold. The same thing would happen during our internet drill.” A BTRC official said the drill could be carried out in Uttara, Motijheel, Ramna and Lalmatia area. Requesting anonymity, a senior official from a popular ISP told the Dhaka Tribune that the regulator has requested them to prepare for any kind of internet shut down. Mobile internet will also be shut down but voice call services will not be interrupted. During the Holey Artisan Bakery attack, the regulator shut down mobile internet connections in that area for 16 hours but they used the broadband connection to communicate with the outside, sending out gruesome photos of murder. Around 3.5 million subscribers are getting broadband connections from 100 ISPs in Dhaka, according to BTRC.