The world had never seemed smaller with the advent of the internet and smart phones giving a litany of options for long-distance communication, but the nationwide internet outage has brought a halt to any such thoughts in Bangladesh.
In one fell swoop, it seems as if the country has returned to the 90s. With direct phone calls being the only means to stay in contact, many people are struggling to stay in touch with their loved ones, especially if they are trying to contact them from outside the country.
Talking to several Bangladeshis living in the United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam, it was understood that they are facing severe difficulties contacting anyone in Bangladesh. Although direct phone calls can still be made, the cost is so high that conversations cannot last more than two or three minutes for most people.
They also complained about network issues when trying to contact their loved ones back home, with phone numbers frequently found to be unreachable or busy.
Apart from direct calls, many people have switched to Skype credit calls. Users can buy 100 minutes of talk time for any phone number for $4 to $7 depending on the country, but most people are oblivious to this facility.
Feerozah Ahammed, a Bangladeshi living in the US, said she tried calling her parents in Bangladesh multiple times after she saw what was happening in the country but was unable to reach them for almost two days. She tried to call them on their phones as well but failed.
Later, she managed to call them with Skype credit but the call dropped multiple times due to poor network connectivity.
Feerozah said her parents and siblings later texted her on her phone number to let her know that they were okay, but it cost them around Tk4-5 per text message.
"With the curfew and difficulties accessing mobile financial services (MFS), my family cannot recharge their phone balance and have to cut conversations short," she added.
A similar scenario was described by Labiba Sheikh, another Bangladeshi living in the UK. She also had to call her family and friends on their phones to know their whereabouts and the situation in Bangladesh.
Shahid Absar, who went to Vietnam for a business trip before the curfew was imposed in Bangladesh, said he saw the news on international media channels. He tried to contact his wife and his parents but could not reach them.
There is still no indication of when the internet in Bangladesh will be restored, or when the curfew may be withdrawn.
