The internet shutdown on July 18 during the student protests was ordered by the then State Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, and the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC), according to preliminary findings by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.
In a statement on Wednesday, Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) President Emdadul Haque said that on July 18, internet services were suddenly cut off by upstream International Internet Gateway (IIG) providers without prior notice to ISPs.
The shutdown's cause has since been clarified by a government investigation, which found that the decision to suspend internet services was made under the direction of the former ICT and Telecommunications State Minister and the NTMC. The shutdown was executed through the International Terrestrial Cable (ITC) providers and the Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL), which operate above the ISP layer and are directly linked to the IIGs.
“When the internet was cut off that day, various media outlets reached out to us for an explanation since we lead broadband internet services. I mentioned that we could not provide internet service because our IIG was not supplying bandwidth,” Haque explained. “Perhaps my statement was misinterpreted in some quarters, and for that, I am genuinely sorry. Such activities are indeed regrettable, but the real reasons have now been made clear to everyone.”
Haque further emphasized the impact of the internet shutdown, saying, “As a businessman and an ordinary internet user, I demand compensation for the financial losses our industry suffered due to the shutdown. The damage inflicted on all sectors in Bangladesh by this internet blackout is irreparable. As a concerned citizen, I urge the current and future governments to never again resort to shutting down the internet under any circumstances. The internet is synonymous with freedom of speech, and we must ensure that this freedom is never compromised.”