Key Facts

• Undersea cable chaos: Two major submarine internet cables (SEA-ME-WE 4 and IMEWE) were cut in the Red Sea, crippling connectivity across India, Pakistan, the Gulf states and parts of East Africa reuters.com. Microsoft warned Azure cloud users in the Middle East to expect higher latency as traffic rerouted around the outage reuters.com. The Red Sea carries an estimated 17% of the world’s internet data, so any break there can have wide-ranging impacts timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Repairs could take weeks, underscoring the fragility of the internet’s backbone amid regional conflicts.
• SpaceX’s $17 billion spectrum gamble: Elon Musk’s SpaceX struck a $17 billion deal to buy wireless spectrum licenses from EchoStar for its Starlink satellite network reuters.com. This huge spectrum acquisition will let SpaceX roll out upgraded “direct-to-cell” satellites that boost network capacity 100-fold and aim to “end mobile dead zones around the world,” said SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell reuters.com. The deal also makes EchoStar’s Boost Mobile customers the first to roam onto Starlink’s satellite signals reuters.com. U.S. regulators cheered the partnership’s potential to “supercharge competition [and] extend innovative new services to millions,” according to an FCC spokesperson reuters.com. SpaceX even agreed to shoulder $2 billion of EchoStar’s debt as part of the plan reuters.com.
• Satellite internet race heats up: Amazon’s Project Kuiper scored a high-profile win by signing JetBlue as its first airline Wi-Fi partner – beating SpaceX’s Starlink in the in-flight internet space space.com. JetBlue planes will start using Kuiper satellites for onboard broadband in 2027; the airline’s president called the agreement “an exciting leap forward” to keep passengers connected in the air space.com. Project Kuiper now has just over 100 satellites in orbit and is gearing up for a Sept 25 launch of 27 more, aiming to begin beta service by year’s end ts2.tech. Meanwhile OneWeb, now merged with Europe’s Eutelsat, completed its initial 650-satellite LEO constellation and is activating low-latency internet service in new markets from South Korea to India ts2.tech.
• Deadly unrest over social media ban: In Nepal, a government ban on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp and 22 other platforms (for failing to register locally) triggered the country’s worst unrest in decades ts2.tech reuters.com. On Sept 8, thousands of young protesters (“Gen Z”) clashed with police in Kathmandu and other cities; at least 19 people were killed and over 100 injured as security forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowds ts2.tech reuters.com. “The police have been firing indiscriminately,” one protester told Reuters as hospitals were overwhelmed reuters.com. Nepal’s Home Minister resigned amid the uproar ts2.tech, and officials lifted the social media ban within a day in the face of public fury aljazeera.com. “This isn’t just about social media – it’s about trust, corruption, and a generation that refuses to stay silent… Cutting off access feels like silencing an entire generation,” wrote Nepal’s Kathmandu Post, emphasizing that for young citizens “digital freedom is personal freedom.” aljazeera.com
• Authoritarian internet crackdowns: Around the world, governments continued to use internet shutdowns and throttling as tools of control. Turkey restricted major social platforms – X (Twitter), YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and Facebook – on Sept 7, amid opposition protests over a disputed election, leaving users with extremely slow access ts2.tech. The bandwidth throttling lasted roughly 21 hours before access was restored, internet monitor NetBlocks confirmed reuters.com. Pakistan has kept its entire province of Balochistan (about 15 million people) under a mobile internet blackout for over a month, initially imposed in early August during military operations against insurgents ts2.tech. Authorities quietly extended the shutdown past its original Aug 31 deadline ts2.tech, drawing condemnation from rights groups who call the recurring blackouts a violation of “basic human rights” for Balochistan’s population thehansindia.com. Iraq once again implemented its exam-season tactic of nationwide internet blackouts for a few hours each morning to prevent cheating on national school exams ts2.tech – a practice that disrupts millions of people’s lives and has been widely criticized by digital rights advocates.
• Russia tightens its grip online: As of Sept 1, sweeping new laws in Russia dramatically escalated online censorship and surveillance. Russians now face fines up to 5,000 roubles (~$65) for merely searching for banned “extremist” content online – even via VPN – under amendments passed by the Duma ts2.tech reuters.com. The list of “extremist” material ranges from opposition organizations to LGBTQ content and even U.S. tech firms reuters.com. The Kremlin also outlawed advertising for VPN services and signaled that Meta’s messaging app WhatsApp could be banned as an “extremist” platform ts2.tech. All new smartphones sold in Russia must now pre-install a government-approved messaging app ts2.tech. Critics warn the vaguely written law is meant “to create fear… to increase the level of self-censorship” among citizens ts2.tech reuters.com. Russia’s push for “digital sovereignty,” including a possible ban on Western apps, risks cutting its people off from the global internet.
• Infrastructure expansions boost connectivity: Even as conflicts disrupt networks, new internet infrastructure is coming online. In East Africa, Kenya’s leading telco Safaricom (with backing from Meta) just unveiled “Daraja,” a 4,100 km undersea fiber-optic cable linking Mombasa, Kenya to Muscat, Oman ts2.tech. By co-owning an international cable, Safaricom gains independence from third-party networks and can expand capacity on demand to serve the region ts2.tech. Further north, Djibouti Telecom announced a 3,300 km extension of its DARE1 submarine cable down the African coast, adding new landing points in Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and South Africa ts2.tech. Construction starts in 2026 with a go-live target of 2028 ts2.tech. Meanwhile in the United States, regulators moved to secure the world’s 400+ undersea data cables (which carry 99% of international internet traffic) from espionage threats reuters.com. The FCC voted to ban Chinese components in new U.S.-linked undersea cables, citing concerns over spying and sabotage ts2.tech. “We have seen submarine cable infrastructure threatened in recent years by foreign adversaries like China,” FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said, underscoring the need to guard these critical “internet arteries” from attack reuters.com.
• Bridging the digital divide: Telecom operators and officials rolled out initiatives to expand affordable internet access. In South Africa, MTN announced it will offer 4G smartphones for just R99 (≈$5) to 1.2 million low-income customers still relying on 2G/3G phones reuters.com. The ultra-budget Android devices (normally ~$40 retail) will be sold in phases through 2026 so that when older networks shut down in 2027, no user is left stranded offline reuters.com reuters.com. “No one is left behind in the digital era… as the country transitions to 4G and 5G, it is vital we take proactive steps to connect as many South Africans as possible,” said MTN South Africa CEO Charles Molapisi reuters.com. In the Philippines, PLDT-Smart launched new plug-and-play 5G Home WiFi kits (on Sept 4) to deliver wireless broadband to rural villages that lack fiber lines ts2.tech. And in New York City, officials announced a pilot called “Liberty Link” to wire up 35 public housing developments in the Bronx and Harlem with free gigabit Wi-Fi for approximately 2,200 low-income households by the end of 2025 ts2.tech. The city is investing $3.25 million in the project, which will provide building-wide high-speed Wi-Fi and even digital literacy training for residents statescoop.com statescoop.com. “The internet is no longer a luxury. It’s an essential service,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, noting that everything from job hunting to homework now requires a reliable connection statescoop.com.

Undersea Cable Cuts Cripple Connectivity from Asia to the Middle East

A sudden undersea cable crisis struck in early September, severing two key fiber-optic lines that carry internet traffic between continents. On Sept 7, network monitors at NetBlocks detected that the SEA-ME-WE 4 (SMW4) and IMEWE submarine cables were cut near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia reuters.com. The impact was felt across multiple countries: India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others all experienced drastically slowed internet speeds or partial outages as data traffic was forced onto alternate paths reuters.com reuters.com. Connectivity in parts of East Africa was also reportedly affected, given the importance of those cables for linking African networks to Europe and Asia.

Technology giant Microsoft alerted customers that its Azure cloud services in the Middle East were seeing increased latency due to “multiple undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea,” although it said it was routing traffic via other network paths to maintain service reuters.com reuters.com. Industry experts note that the Red Sea is one of the world’s most critical internet chokepoints, carrying an estimated 17% of global internet data between Europe, Africa and Asia timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Consequently, damage to cables in this corridor can have “wide-ranging consequences” timesofindia.indiatimes.com far beyond the immediate region. Bloomberg reports have highlighted the challenges of repairing undersea lines in the Red Sea, especially amid security risks from ongoing conflicts in nearby Yemen timesofindia.indiatimes.com. (Yemen’s Houthi rebels have targeted ships in the Red Sea during the war in Gaza, raising speculation that the cable cuts could be related timesofindia.indiatimes.com, though no cause has been confirmed.)

No official culprit has been identified for the cable damage. Incidents like this can occur accidentally – for example, from a ship’s anchor dragging along the seabed – or deliberately via sabotage. “It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the damage,” Reuters noted, describing only that failures were pinpointed near Jeddah reuters.com. What is clear is that repairs will take time. Undersea cable fixes require special cable-laying ships and often weeks of work to locate and mend the break, especially if multiple cuts are involved. As of Sept 10, crews were being dispatched to assess the Red Sea breaks, but connectivity for millions remains fragile. The incident starkly demonstrated the vulnerability of the internet’s physical backbone: a few cuts in a strategic location were enough to knock entire countries offline or onto backup links reuters.com.

SpaceX’s $17 Billion Spectrum Bet Fuels a Satellite Leap

While undersea cables were under siege, SpaceX made a bold move in space to expand global internet coverage. On Sept 8, Elon Musk’s company announced it will purchase a vast block of wireless spectrum from satellite operator EchoStar in a deal worth about $17 billion reuters.com. This spectrum – essentially radio frequencies for wireless service – is the linchpin for SpaceX’s planned “Starlink Direct-to-Cell” service, which aims to connect standard mobile phones directly to Starlink satellites in orbit.

Under the agreement, SpaceX will acquire EchoStar’s licenses in the 2 GHz spectrum band, which are ideal for wide-area mobile coverage reuters.com. The deal marks one of the largest spectrum purchases ever by a satellite operator, reflecting SpaceX’s ambition to turn its Starlink constellation into a global cell tower in the sky. The company has already launched around 600 test satellites for this new direct-to-handset network aljazeera.com, but more are needed. With exclusive access to the EchoStar frequencies, SpaceX says it can start deploying next-generation Starlink satellites equipped with direct-to-cell antennas and laser crosslinks for backhaul reuters.com. These larger, more powerful satellites will expand Starlink’s network capacity “by more than 100 times,” according to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell reuters.com.

Shotwell said the goal is to “end mobile dead zones around the world… [and] enhance coverage for customers wherever they are in the world.” reuters.com In practical terms, Starlink’s direct-to-cell service could allow an ordinary smartphone to get a signal in remote wilderness, on a ship at sea, or in disaster zones – places far beyond the reach of cell towers. To sweeten the spectrum deal, SpaceX also agreed to let EchoStar’s Boost Mobile subscribers access the Starlink satellite network for coverage in areas with no terrestrial service reuters.com. And notably, SpaceX will shoulder about $2 billion of EchoStar’s debt and partly pay in SpaceX stock reuters.com, signaling its long-term confidence in this venture.

Regulators have applauded the move as an innovative marriage of satellite and terrestrial wireless services. “The deals…hold the potential to supercharge competition, extend innovative new services to millions…and boost U.S. leadership in next-gen connectivity,” said an FCC spokesperson, referencing both SpaceX’s pact with EchoStar and a similar spectrum sale EchoStar made to AT&T reuters.com. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission had been pressing EchoStar (which operates the legacy Dish Network and HughesNet services) to put its underused mobile-satellite spectrum to better use aljazeera.com. Now, with SpaceX taking over those airwaves – and even the FCC’s Brendan Carr publicly pushing for this outcome reuters.com – that idle spectrum will power a space-based 5G network. SpaceX will pay roughly half the $17 billion in cash and half in stock, reflecting the enormous valuation it places on this spectrum’s potential aljazeera.com aljazeera.com.

This bet comes amid surging demand for wireless data worldwide. In the U.S. alone, mobile users consumed a record 132 trillion megabytes in 2024 (35% more than the year prior) aljazeera.com. Traditional cell networks struggle to reach many rural or remote areas, and building new towers is costly. If SpaceX’s “cell towers in space” approach succeeds, it could be a game-changer for ubiquitous coverage – and a competitive threat to terrestrial carriers. The first truly mobile-compatible Starlink satellites will likely hitch a ride to orbit on SpaceX’s upcoming Starship rocket, which is in testing aljazeera.com. SpaceX aims to begin direct-to-cell text and voice services in 2025–26 in partnership with T-Mobile (using a different band), but the EchoStar spectrum greatly expands its capacity and global reach aljazeera.com aljazeera.com.

Satellite Rivals: Amazon’s Kuiper Snags JetBlue as OneWeb Completes Fleet

The satellite broadband “space race” is intensifying on other fronts as well. Amazon’s Project Kuiper – a planned 3,200-satellite constellation for global internet – notched a significant victory by securing JetBlue Airways as its first airline customer for in-flight Wi-Fi space.com. JetBlue announced on Sept 4 that it will outfit its fleet with Kuiper satellite receivers to provide high-speed internet to passengers starting in 2027 space.com. This makes JetBlue the first airline to commit to Amazon’s LEO network, whereas several airlines (including Delta and JSX) have already partnered with SpaceX’s Starlink for in-flight connectivity. JetBlue’s president Marty St. George said the Amazon deal is “an exciting leap forward for us as the hands-down leader in onboard connectivity,” pledging that flyers will be able to binge-watch shows, video-chat and work seamlessly in the air space.com.

For Amazon, landing a major airline is a coup as it races to catch up with Starlink. Project Kuiper is still in early deployment – 102 of its satellites are in orbit so far, out of 3,200 planned space.com. Impressively, all 102 were launched just within the past four months in a rapid campaign after Amazon cleared regulatory milestones space.com. The company is now gearing up for its next launch on September 25, when a batch of 27 more Kuiper satellites will be lofted on an Atlas V rocket ts2.tech. If all goes well, Amazon aims to begin beta broadband service by late 2025, focusing on areas in the U.S. and possibly elsewhere that are under-served by ground internet ts2.tech. The JetBlue partnership suggests Kuiper will also branch into mobility services (airlines, ships, etc.), directly challenging SpaceX, which has been aggressively pursuing those markets with Starlink.

Meanwhile, OneWeb – the London-based LEO satellite operator now merged with France’s Eutelsat – reached a milestone of its own. OneWeb confirmed it has finished deploying its first-generation fleet of 618 satellites (approximately 650 including spares) in low Earth orbit ts2.tech. With the constellation complete, OneWeb is activating commercial broadband service in new regions, extending its footprint across Europe, Africa, Asia and beyond. Notably, OneWeb announced it is rolling out low-latency internet in South Korea and India for the first time ts2.tech, after recently securing regulatory approval in those countries. (South Korea’s science ministry approved OneWeb – and Starlink – for operation in May kedglobal.com ts2.tech, and India’s telecom authorities have cleared OneWeb in partnership with local firms.) This expansion comes after OneWeb spent years rebuilding from a 2020 bankruptcy and launching its satellites via partners like ISRO and SpaceX. The Eutelsat merger (closed in 2023) gave OneWeb a fresh capital boost and geostationary satellite allies for a hybrid GEO-LEO service offering en.wikipedia.org.

OneWeb’s completion of its constellation – second only to Starlink’s in size – marks a major competitive moment in the satellite industry. There are now at least three mega-constellations vying to connect the unconnected: SpaceX’s Starlink (with over 5,000 satellites launched to date), OneWeb, and soon Amazon’s Kuiper. Others like China’s SatNet, AST SpaceMobile, and various regional projects are on the horizon. Airlines, cruise lines, governments, and remote enterprise customers are among the sought-after clients. With JetBlue’s deal, Amazon demonstrated it can win marquee customers even before its network is operational. SpaceX has been launching at a relentless cadence – over 2,000 Starlink satellites in 2025 alone per company data ts2.tech – to maintain its head start. And OneWeb, though smaller in scale, is targeting niche markets (like rural mobile backhaul and government use) often in collaboration with local telecom providers.

Industry analysts say the in-flight internet battle foreshadows broader competition to come. “Amazon’s new broadband constellation just scored a big win,” Space.com declared after the JetBlue news space.com, noting that several airlines had already signed with Starlink but Kuiper is now firmly in the race. For consumers on the ground, these rivalries could drive down the cost of satellite internet equipment and subscriptions, which historically have been expensive. Amazon has hinted its customer terminals will be more affordable and simpler to set up – possibly even under $400 per antenna – leveraging its mass manufacturing prowess. Starlink recently unveiled a rugged “Direct to Cell” roadmap (enabled by the EchoStar spectrum above) to eventually connect phones without any dish at all. And OneWeb, through Eutelsat, is bundling LEO connectivity with traditional satellite services to offer continuous coverage from cities to airliners. The coming year will be pivotal as Amazon’s first production Kuiper satellites (set to launch this fall) go into service and OneWeb/Eutelsat begins marketing its joint offerings. The skies are getting crowded, and for global internet users, that could be a very good thing.

Social Media Ban Triggers Deadly Protests in Nepal

Nepal witnessed a dramatic collision of digital policy and public outrage in recent days, resulting in the country’s deadliest unrest in years. It began when the Nepalese government ordered a blanket ban on major social media platforms in early September – including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter and more than 20 others. Officials claimed these services had failed to register locally as required by new regulations, and accused them of allowing misinformation and other abuses ts2.tech. By Sept 4–5, access to the platforms was blocked nationwide, angering a generation of young Nepalis for whom social apps are a lifeline.

Frustration quickly turned into mass protest. On September 8, thousands of predominantly young demonstrators poured into the streets of Kathmandu and several other cities, rallying under what some dubbed a “Gen Z movement” against the ban and against entrenched government corruption ts2.tech aljazeera.com. Tensions exploded outside the Parliament building in Kathmandu, where protesters, many in their late teens and 20s, faced off with lines of armed police. Some youths tore down barricades and even set fire to an ambulance in anger reuters.com reuters.com. Police responded with force – firing tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and reportedly even live rounds in some instances – to disperse the crowds, which chanted against the social media shutdown and alleged graft by officials.

The clashes turned bloody. By that night, at least 19 people were dead (17 in Kathmandu and 2 in a city in the eastern Sunsari district) and over 100 injured, according to hospital authorities aljazeera.com aljazeera.com. It was Nepal’s worst civil unrest in decades, with casualty figures not seen since the Maoist conflict era. “I have never seen such a disturbing situation at the hospital,” one health official in Kathmandu told the media, describing wards overflowing with wounded protesters and police aljazeera.com. Rights groups like Amnesty International condemned the “unlawful use of lethal force” by authorities aljazeera.com. Many protesters had come out peacefully but were provoked by the crackdown. “The police have been firing indiscriminately,” one young demonstrator told Reuters, recounting how a live bullet nearly struck him and hit his friend instead reuters.com.

The government’s draconian move to silence social media appears to have backfired spectacularly. Public fury was not just about losing access to Facebook or TikTok for a few days – it tapped into deeper grievances. As The Kathmandu Post wrote in an editorial, “this isn’t just about social media – it’s about trust, corruption, and a generation that refuses to stay silent.” aljazeera.com Nepal’s under-30 population has grown up with the internet and saw the ban as a brazen attempt to “silence an entire generation.” Digital freedom, the paper argued, has become “personal freedom” for Nepal’s youth aljazeera.com. Many also suspect the ban was politically motivated: an attempt by the old guard to quash organizing by young activists who have been increasingly vocal online about issues like corruption, governance and unemployment.

Facing a fierce backlash, the Nepalese authorities reversed course within 24 hours of the deadly protests. On Sept 9, the government lifted the social media ban unconditionally aljazeera.com. Nepal’s Home Minister, Ramesh Lekhak, resigned the same day, taking responsibility for the bloodshed aljazeera.com. By Sept 10, Nepalis were back online, flooding social platforms with tributes to the slain protesters and criticism of the government’s heavy-handedness. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli – who had earlier dismissed the youth-led protest organizers as naive and “incapable of independent thought” aljazeera.com – struck a more conciliatory tone in subsequent statements, pledging investigations into the violence. A curfew that had been imposed on parts of Kathmandu was lifted as calm gradually returned aljazeera.com.

The episode stands as a stark lesson in the risks of internet shutdowns. In an increasingly connected world, cutting off popular online services can provoke as much outrage as shutting down electricity or water. For Nepal’s government, what began as a regulatory pressure tactic against tech companies morphed into a national crisis that left nearly twenty young citizens dead. And for Nepal’s youth, the “Social Media Siege,” as some called it, has become a rallying cry demanding greater accountability and a recognition that digital rights are human rights. As one protest banner read (in Nepali): “Disconnect us from the internet, and you disconnect us from our future.”

Crackdowns and Blackouts: Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq Muzzle the Net

Nepal’s crisis was the most extreme example, but it wasn’t the only instance of governments squeezing the internet in recent days. In Turkey, authorities carried out a coordinated social media throttling to quell dissent. Starting the night of Sept 7, as opposition parties called for protests over a contested local election result, Turkish internet providers slowed traffic to a crawl on all the major social platforms – including X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and WhatsApp ts2.tech. Photos and videos would barely load; messages were delayed or failed to send. The outage was not a total block, but a severe bandwidth restriction (often called “throttling”) that made the sites practically unusable for most of Sept 8. NetBlocks confirmed the widespread throttling lasted about 21 hours before service was fully restored reuters.com. The Turkish government, led by President Erdoğan’s administration, has repeatedly resorted to such tactics during sensitive moments – from terror attacks to political scandals – to stifle the flow of information. This time the trigger was opposition rallies and alleged unrest in Istanbul and Ankara. By choking social media, officials likely hoped to prevent protesters from organizing online or sharing footage that could fuel further demonstrations. Freedom-of-expression groups in Turkey denounced the move as a “predictable playbook” of censorship, noting that it happens with almost every major protest nowadays.

Moving east to Pakistan, an even more prolonged internet shutdown is ongoing in the vast province of Balochistan. Home to about 14–15 million people, Balochistan has now endured a mobile internet blackout for over five weeks and counting ts2.tech. The Pakistani government initially cut off 3G/4G cellular data services in early August, citing the need to disrupt communications among separatist militants during a military operation thehansindia.com. The outage was supposed to be temporary, but instead of lifting it, authorities extended the shutdown indefinitely past August 31 ts2.tech. As of mid-September, entire cities in Balochistan remain offline on mobile networks, causing immense difficulties for residents trying to work, study, or contact family. (Some fiber broadband lines and landlines are still up, but mobile is the primary internet source for most people there.)

Human rights organizations are sounding alarm bells. Amnesty International slammed the blackout, noting that “mobile internet is the only way to access the internet for many people in the province, and blanket shutdowns significantly curtail the right to information, freedom of expression, movement and peaceful assembly.” thehansindia.com An activist from Quetta (Balochistan’s capital) described how authorities frequently use internet cuts as a tool to suppress protests and dissent. “These shutdowns have become so common that we now expect them… The real reason is to stop information from reaching the rest of Pakistan and the world,” she said, adding that whenever activists plan an event or demonstration, “the internet is often shut down as soon as we arrive.” thehansindia.com With schools, businesses, and even emergency services impacted, the blackout is punishing ordinary citizens, critics say ts2.tech. A coalition of civil society groups has petitioned Pakistan’s courts, and in one small win, the Balochistan High Court ordered the internet restored on Aug 21 thehansindia.com. But the government then re-imposed shutdowns during later security operations and religious processions (e.g. around a Sept 6 event), showing the tenuousness of the court’s order thehansindia.com thehansindia.com. As of Sept 11, parts of Balochistan have seen service sporadically return, but many districts remain cut off pakistanpressfoundation.org, and the issue has become a rallying cause for those advocating that access to the internet is a basic human right.

In Iraq, the government once again implemented its annual ritual of exam-time internet blackouts. On the mornings of Sept 10 and 11 (and for several days prior), Iraq’s national internet was shut down for a few hours countrywide, roughly corresponding to school exam sessions ts2.tech. This practice – aimed at preventing students from leaking or googling answers during high school matriculation exams – has been deployed in Iraq for many years, usually in late spring and again for make-up exams in the fall. This September’s shutdowns followed the familiar pattern: from about 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. GMT each day, internet access was largely blocked across Iraq (with only certain government-approved connections allowed). Millions of Iraqis thus woke up to find their connectivity gone for several hours. The disruption affects not just students but also businesses, media, and daily life, drawing growing criticism. “Cutting off the entire country’s internet for exams is a massive overreach,” one digital rights advocate told local press, arguing it does more harm than good given the economic cost and the reliance of Iraq’s public on the internet ts2.tech. Nevertheless, Iraqi authorities defend the practice as necessary to ensure the integrity of the highly competitive exam process (which in the past has seen questions leaked on Facebook and WhatsApp groups). They also note that many other countries in the region do the same – Syria, Algeria, Sudan and others have all imposed exam blackouts. But activists counter that collective punishment of internet users isn’t a sustainable solution to cheating. With Iraq trying to rebuild and diversify its economy, these recurrent shutdowns (often instituted with little notice) send a troubling signal. For now, though, the “digital curfew” during exams remains an annual tradition, and 2025 was no exception.

Collectively, these cases in Turkey, Pakistan, and Iraq highlight a continuing global trend of governments weaponizing internet access in times of perceived crisis. Whether to control narratives, suppress protests, or prevent exam fraud, shutting down networks has become a go-to move from Ankara to Islamabad to Baghdad. According to the Internet Society, nearly 900 internet shutdowns have been documented worldwide so far in 2025 pulse.internetsociety.org. Officials often justify them on grounds of security or public order – yet the collateral damage to people’s livelihoods, education and freedoms is immense. As one Baloch activist put it: “They say the internet is shut for security… We don’t feel safer when we can’t get in touch with our families or access information like the rest of the country.” thehansindia.com The tension between national security and digital rights is increasingly playing out in the battle over the on/off switch of the internet.

Russia Doubles Down on Digital Censorship

In Russia, the state’s grip on the internet tightened further as new censorship laws took effect at the start of September. The Russian Duma (parliament) had passed amendments earlier in the summer, and as of Sept 1 these provisions are being enforced – dramatically expanding the legal toolkit to punish online behavior. Most notably, Russians can now be fined simply for searching for banned information online reuters.com. The law sets penalties up to 5,000 roubles (about $65) for anyone who “knowingly seeks out extremist content” on the internet reuters.com reuters.com. In practice, this could mean that typing certain keywords into Google, visiting a prohibited website, or even scrolling social media could be deemed an offense if the content is blacklisted by authorities. And importantly, using a VPN (virtual private network) does not exempt one from liability – the law explicitly covers searches via tools people use to circumvent censorship reuters.com.

The list of forbidden “extremist materials” in Russia is extraordinarily broad. It runs over 500 pages and includes obvious targets like terrorist propaganda, but also political and social content that the Kremlin deems undesirable reuters.com. For example, the organizations of jailed Putin-critic Alexei Navalny are on the extremist list, as is any positive mention of LGBTQ rights (the so-called “international LGBT movement” is labeled extremist) reuters.com. Also on the list: U.S. tech giant Meta Platforms, the parent of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta was branded an “extremist organization” in Russia last year for allegedly spreading misinformation about the Ukraine war. Thus, many ordinary Russians engaging with Facebook or Instagram are technically accessing “extremist” content under Russian law. Now, the act of searching for such content is punishable, adding another layer of intimidation.

Officials in Moscow wasted no time in targeting one of the last Western communication tools still widely used in Russia: WhatsApp. On Sept 1, just as the new law came into force, a senior lawmaker, Alexander Khinshtein, declared “it’s time for WhatsApp to prepare to leave the Russian market.” reuters.com He argued that since Meta is extremist, WhatsApp should be banned unless it hands over data or complies with local rules. (Unlike Facebook and Instagram, WhatsApp has so far avoided a ban, likely because it’s a vital everyday app for millions of Russians.) Another Duma member warned that WhatsApp’s new channels feature could be used to spread dissent and said the messaging app posed a “security threat” reuters.com. The government hasn’t outright blocked WhatsApp yet, but it has heavily signaled that a WhatsApp ban is on the table if Meta doesn’t bow to Russian demands. In tandem, any advertising or promotion of VPN services – which many Russians rely on to reach banned sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Western news – has now been outlawed, making it harder for less tech-savvy citizens to learn how to evade censorship ts2.tech.

Digital rights defenders are sounding the alarm. The vague wording of the “extremist search” law means almost anything could potentially be construed as knowing intent, since the authorities decide after the fact what someone’s intent was. “It’s not immediately clear how they’ll determine intent in an online search. The lack of clarity has left many feeling uneasy,” Reuters reported reuters.com. Yekaterina Mizulina, a pro-government internet figure, even criticized the law’s broadness, warning it could spark extortion schemes (e.g. bad actors planting “extremist” links and then blackmailing users) reuters.com. Perhaps the most pointed critique came from Sarkis Darbinyan, founder of the Russian digital rights group Roskomsvoboda. He said the “main task [of this law]…is to create fear, to create such uncertainty so as to increase the level of self-censorship among the Russian internet audience.” reuters.com In other words, the law’s goal is not to catch every violator – an impossible task – but to scare Russians into policing their own online behavior. If people worry any click could land them in trouble, they might stop visiting opposition Telegram channels, stop googling controversial topics, and stick to a sanitized corner of the web.

The Kremlin’s broader “digital sovereignty” campaign also advanced in September. Under a rule that kicked in on Sept 1, every new smartphone or computer sold in Russia must have certain government-approved apps pre-installed, including a domestic messaging app called “NashStore” (a replacement for Google Play) and others ts2.tech. This ensures that Russian users are nudged toward using state-monitored platforms rather than foreign ones. Additionally, Russia’s telecommunications regulator continues to pressure foreign tech companies that remain in the market – from Apple to Telegram – to locate servers in Russia and comply with data-sharing requests, under threat of fines or slowdowns. The cumulative effect is an internet that is increasingly isolated from the global web. Many Russians now find it difficult to access independent news sites, social media, or even app updates, as more and more services get blocked or penalized. The government touts these measures as necessary cybersecurity and anti-extremism defenses amid the war in Ukraine and confrontation with the West. But critics say Russia is steadily cleaving its internet into a Great Firewall akin to China’s, where state propaganda flows freely but dissenting information is choked off.

For Russian internet users, these new laws inject a fresh dose of fear. Fines and misdemeanors today could turn into criminal charges tomorrow. Indeed, some opponents worry the “search fines” are a prelude to eventually jailing people for what they read online, not just what they post. The path to that dystopia seems frighteningly short: in fact, some bloggers have already been sentenced to multi-year prison terms for spreading “fake news” about the military or “justifying extremism” in private messages. The noose online is tightening. As one opposition politician quipped darkly on social media (before his account was banned): “At this rate, soon merely thinking about forbidden content will be a crime.” For now, Russian authorities haven’t figured out how to read minds – but they’re coming for the search bars.

New Cables, 5G and Broadband: Expanding the Internet’s Reach

Amid the turmoil and crackdowns, many countries are still pressing forward with efforts to expand internet infrastructure and bring more people online. Over the past two days, several notable developments in broadband buildout and policy have emerged from around the globe:

• East Africa’s data boost: In Nairobi on Sept 10, Safaricom (Kenya) and Meta (Facebook’s parent) announced the launch of “Daraja” – a new 4,100 km submarine internet cable connecting Kenya to the Middle East ts2.tech. Daraja (meaning “bridge” in Swahili) runs under the Indian Ocean from Mombasa, Kenya to Muscat, Oman, and will significantly increase data capacity for Kenya and its neighbors. Safaricom invested about $23 million in the cable and will co-own it, a strategic shift for a company that previously relied on leasing bandwidth from others ts2.tech. “Until now Safaricom has relied on third-party undersea systems… by co-owning a cable, it secures greater independence and can expand capacity on demand,” the company noted ts2.tech. The cable is expected to go live by early 2026 and should lower internet costs while improving reliability in East Africa.
• Pan-African connectivity: Further north, Djibouti Telecom unveiled plans to extend its existing DARE1 subsea cable (which links the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula) down along the African east coast ts2.tech. The new extension will add 3,300 km of fiber with landings in Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, and South Africa ts2.tech. This will plug those countries directly into Djibouti’s hub, creating an alternative route to the heavily congested cables around the Cape of Good Hope. Construction is slated to begin in 2026 with a target completion in 2028 ts2.tech. The project reflects how African telecom operators are joining forces to build out continental backbone infrastructure, rather than waiting for Western or Chinese firms to do it for them. Both the Daraja and DARE1-extension cables will also interconnect with multiple other undersea networks, improving redundancy – a salient point after the recent Red Sea cuts.
• US rural broadband on new paths: In the United States, Sept 11 was the deadline for all 50 states to submit their plans for the federal government’s $42.5 billion BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program – a massive initiative to extend high-speed internet to unserved rural areas. Notably, some states are moving away from “fiber-only” approaches toward more tech-neutral strategies that include fixed wireless and satellite in the mix. Louisiana, for instance, revised its plan to use fiber for about 80% of new connections and satellite or wireless for the hardest-to-reach 20% ts2.tech ts2.tech. By allocating a modest portion of funds to SpaceX Starlink kits for extremely remote homes, Louisiana estimates it cut the average cost per new hookup from $5,300 to $3,900 – saving the state around $250 million and enabling faster deployment ts2.tech ts2.tech. Virginia similarly plans to use satellite (including Amazon’s Kuiper once available) for roughly 10% of locations in its BEAD rollout ts2.tech. This marks a shift from earlier federal guidance that prioritized fiber above all; now states have flexibility to choose the most cost-effective tool to reach the last few percent of homes still offline. The Wyoming state government, as another example, just approved a $348 million plan to deliver at least baseline (25 Mbps) internet to every remaining unserved location statewide, using a mix of fiber and fixed wireless in addition to satellite for the most remote ranches ts2.tech.
• 5G on the horizon: Two sizable emerging markets made moves toward 5G mobile networks. In Pakistan, the government announced it will hold the country’s first auction for 5G spectrum in December 2025, aiming to launch commercial 5G service shortly thereafter ts2.tech. Pakistan has allocated 606 MHz of mid-band spectrum (in the 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands) for bidding, though some of those frequencies are tied up in court disputes ts2.tech. After years of delay and debate, the Prime Minister directed officials to accelerate 5G deployment to keep pace with neighbors. And in Turkey, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority set October 16, 2025 as the date for Turkey’s long-awaited 5G spectrum tender】 ts2.tech. They plan to auction 11 frequency blocks (700 MHz and 3.5 GHz) worth at least $2.1 billion total ts2.tech. The goal is for Turkish carriers to start rolling out 5G service by April 2026 ts2.tech. Turkey currently has no 5G and lags behind much of Europe and Asia, so this auction is seen as “finally putting Turkey on the 5G map.” If successful, Turkish consumers and industries could leapfrog from the enhanced 4G (“4.5G”) they’ve had for years straight into next-gen wireless capabilities like IoT and smart city applications.
• Big Tech meets telecom: In India, a notable industry partnership was finalized on Sept 10: Reliance Jio, the country’s largest mobile carrier, and Meta (Facebook’s owner) are forming a ₹855 crore (~$100 million) joint venture to develop AI-powered digital services for Jio’s network ts2.tech. The venture will leverage Meta’s advanced Llama AI models to build new enterprise tools – from customer service chatbots to automated workflows – running on Jio’s nationwide infrastructure ts2.tech. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the effort will “put Llama into real-world use” at massive scale in India’s economy ts2.tech. Jio, which has over 450 million subscribers, could integrate these AI services into everything from retail to agriculture to education platforms. The partnership underscores how telecom operators in big markets are branching beyond connectivity into content, cloud computing, and now AI, often teaming up with global tech giants to do so.
• Community Wi-Fi and local initiatives: Beyond the headline projects, grassroots connectivity initiatives also bloomed. In the Philippines, as noted, Smart Communications rolled out prepaid 5G home Wi-Fi kits that customers in underserved towns can simply plug in to get an instant broadband network ts2.tech. The offering, launched Sept 4, targets students and entrepreneurs in areas without fiber lines, giving them unlimited data without a contract – a flexibility ideal for rural populations. And in New York City, the new Liberty Link pilot is not just installing free Wi-Fi in housing projects but also providing digital literacy training to residents through libraries statescoop.com statescoop.com. City officials emphasize that having a connection is only half the battle; people also need the skills and support to use it productively. “Whether it’s finding a job, filling a prescription, or applying for child care, the internet is no longer a luxury. It’s an essential service,” Mayor Eric Adams said at the program’s kickoff, standing next to a giant mock Wi-Fi router statescoop.com. The initiative will test various technologies (from mesh Wi-Fi to fiber) over three years to see what works best for affordable housing communities statescoop.com.

From new fiber-optic cables spanning oceans to next-gen 5G signals lighting up the airwaves, these developments illustrate the global push to extend fast internet access to every corner. Yet, as this week’s events also showed, building the infrastructure is only part of the story. Equal access remains a challenge – not just technically and economically, but politically. It’s telling that even as engineers lay down new cables and launch satellites, activists must fight to keep those networks open and free from shutdowns or censorship. The 48 hours of internet news around September 10–11, 2025 capture this dichotomy vividly: unprecedented breakthroughs in connectivity on one hand, and deliberate pullbacks and disruptions on the other.

In the end, the trend is clear: the world is becoming ever more connected, and people increasingly view internet connectivity as a basic necessity rather than a luxury. When that connectivity is threatened – whether by broken cables, government fiat, or lack of affordability – it provokes outcry and innovation in equal measure. As one Nairobi commentator put it during the Daraja cable launch, “The internet has become humanity’s nervous system. Damage a part of it, and the whole world feels the pain.” Conversely, every new link established – from a remote village hotspot to a space-based cell network – has the potential to improve lives and bridge divides. The challenge and hope for the coming years is that the forces of expansion and inclusion outweigh those of division and control. This week’s turmoil and triumphs on the global internet stage show the battle is well underway.

Sources: This report draws on global news articles, official statements, and press releases dated September 10–11, 2025, including reporting by Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Times of India, Space.com, StateScoop, and others. Key references include Reuters reports on the Red Sea cable cuts reuters.com reuters.com, SpaceX’s spectrum deal reuters.com reuters.com, and the Nepal protests reuters.com reuters.com; Al Jazeera coverage of the Nepal ban aftermath aljazeera.com aljazeera.com; analysis from TS2 Space’s internet access roundups ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech; and official statements like NYC’s “Liberty Link” program launch statescoop.com statescoop.com, among many others. Each development underscores the ever-evolving landscape of internet access – from dramatic outages and crackdowns to ambitious technological leaps – in this snapshot of a pivotal 48 hours for the global internet.