The lives of Bangladeshi citizens slowed down to a crawl after Thursday as the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Commission (BTRC) has been unable to fully restore internet services.
Users reported slow mobile internet speeds on Tuesday in few areas. However, both broadband and mobile data has been unavailable since Thursday evening as the data centre in Dhaka’s Mohakhali was set on fire by miscreants in guise of protesters.
Newspapers, television channels and word of mouth are the only ways for most people to stay apprised of the situation outside. Furthermore, all business that are dependent on IT services have been severely hampered in their operations, and many are unable to operate at all.
Broadband internet restored in limited areas after blackoutFreelancers, call centres, online shops, delivery services are some of the businesses who are unable to conduct even their most basic activities due to the internet outage.
Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Sumaita, a resident of the capital's Gulshan, said: "The situation in Gulshan, or at least what I see from my home, is stable. But I do sometimes hear loud gunshot-like sounds nearby."
She said the internet disruption has severely hampered her work as she is a freelance writer.
"I am worried that my international clients are oblivious to where I must be as I missed two work submissions that I needed to make on Friday morning," she said.
Another resident of the capital's Banani, requesting anonymity, said: "My parents live in Dhaka south. Due to what is happening on the streets, I am unable to travel to see them or be with them during this time."
Especially with the internet disruption, he said it is difficult to understand the road situation.
"Living in Dhaka, we highly depend on Google Maps to know the best routes and if any road is blocked. So, it's impossible to know any of it now," he added.
Meanwhile, the situation in the Mohammadpur area was chaotic late on Saturday.
Residents reported hearing gunshots, sound grenades and loud bangs.
One resident of the Tajmahal Road area said some miscreants set fire to several tyres on the roads and black smoke had engulfed the whole area since midnight.
They also said the mobile network, especially Grameenphone, was unavailable for some time during the night. As a result, they were unable to call or send text messages to their family members or friends to know if they were safe.
