Internet Shutdowns Led to Loss of Rs. 2.45 crore per Hour

Guwahati, December 28, 2019:

The mobile operators of India lost a revenue of around Rs. 2.45 crore every hour the government had ordered the suspension of internet services to control the countrywide protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Director General of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Rajan Mathews informed that the cost of internet shutdowns, following government orders, accounted close to Rs. 2.45 crore per hour of shutdown.

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It may be mentioned here that the losses will add to the already reeling telecom sector of the country, which has Rs. 92,855 crore overdue payments following a Supreme Court ruling in October.

According to reports, India, which is considered as one of the biggest markets for social media users, consumes 9.8 gigabyte of date on an average per month on their smartphones.

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The rate of protests against the CAA has been increasing across India. The citizens from different parts of the country have expressed their opposition to the new law that offers citizenship to non-Muslims hailing from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Mobile internet services were shut in at least eighteen districts in Uttar Pradesh. Again, a text message was circulated from an Internet service provider that home broadband services in New Delhi outskirts would be unavailable till the morning of December 28.

According to COAI, which has Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Industries’ Jio Infocomm as its members, internet services should not be the first course of action, as it impacts the business a great deal.

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