Telecom Industry Lose Rs 24.5 Million Per Hour Of Internet Shutdown: Reports
Bharti, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio did not respond to emails seeking comment
Mumbai: According to the latest reports from the news agency Reuters, Indian mobile operators are losing about 24.5 million ($ 350,000) in revenue every hour, to suspend internet services on government orders to control protests against a new citizenship law Are forced to.
Countrywide protests sparked a three-week uproar following legislation passed by Parliament that gives citizenship to minorities in neighbouring Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh but excludes Muslims.
Coupled with a plan for the National Register of Citizens, which is seen by critics as an anti-Muslim move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
To prevent protests, the government has deployed thousands of police at a time, as well as ordered a mobile data shut down so that people can use social media such as Instagram and Tickcock to conduct a parallel fight online. Such internet suspensions have been criticized by Internet freedom activists.
Also Read: Indian-Origins Techies Pens Open Letter Against Citizenship Amendment Act
A source of Reuters in the telecom industry said that on Friday, at least 18 districts in the state of Uttar Pradesh were ordered to shut down mobile internet.
Reuters witness received a text message from an internet service provider announcing that home broadband services on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi would be unavailable for 24 hours from December 24.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said that the internet shutdown should not be the first course of action that makes mobile carriers Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Jio Infocomm of Reliance Industries its members.
Also Read: Owaisi Demands Inquiry Into Violent Anti-CAA Protests, Police Action In UP
“We have highlighted the cost of these shutdowns,” COAI Director General Rajan Matthews told Reuters. “According to our calculations at the end of 2019, with the increase in online activities, we believe that the cost (of internet shutdown) for an hour of internet shutdown is close to Rs 24.5 million.”
According to Swedish telecom gearmaker Ericsson, Indians consume an average of 9.8 gigabytes of data per month on their smartphones. The country is the largest market by users for social media firm Facebook and its messenger WhatsApp.
The loss of revenue will be offset by the havoc of India’s telecom sector following a Supreme Court ruling in October that wasted due to war and sank with an overdue payment of $ 13 billion. Bharti, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Also Read: BJP Eyes To Get Support Letters From One Cr People Under Mega Campaign On CAA
The ban follows an unprecedented shutdown of Internet and text messaging services in parts of Delhi last week, widening communications clampdowns in contiguous areas stretching from disputed Kashmir to the northeast.
According to digital rights group Access Now, Internet services in Indian Kashmir were suspended for 140 days, as New Delhi reasserted its position from one state to a federally administered region, making it the most in democracy remained.
(With Reuters Inputs)
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and like us on Facebook for the latest updates and interesting stories.
