Read on Twitter
Heartening news yesterday: 4G services have finally been restored in Kashmir. It has been a year and half of no/almost-no Internet.
Can you even imagine what that's like in today's day and age?
A few points and thoughts in this thread:
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Can you even imagine what that's like in today's day and age?
A few points and thoughts in this thread:
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1. History:
- 4G had been cut in Kashmir in August 4, 2019.
- End of Jan 2020, fixed line services had been allowed, and 2G was enabled (which, given how heavy Internet sites are now, is excruciatingly slow)
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- 4G had been cut in Kashmir in August 4, 2019.
- End of Jan 2020, fixed line services had been allowed, and 2G was enabled (which, given how heavy Internet sites are now, is excruciatingly slow)
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- A firewall was put in Jan 2020, allowing access to 301 websites eventually.
https://www.medianama.com/2020/01/223-the-great-indian-firewall/
- Access to social media sites was enabled in March 2020.
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https://www.medianama.com/2020/01/223-the-great-indian-firewall/
- Access to social media sites was enabled in March 2020.
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- In August 2020, Udhampur and Ganderbal got 4G Internet on a trial basis. Pre-paid subscribers needed police verification, and there was MAC binding.
https://www.medianama.com/2020/08/223-4g-internet-restored-kashmir-districts/
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https://www.medianama.com/2020/08/223-4g-internet-restored-kashmir-districts/
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2. Kashmir is no stranger to Internet Shutdowns. As per @SFLCin tracker, the 3 longest shutdowns in India have been in Jammu & Kashmir (including Kargil). Each has been over 100 days. I would count firewalling and 2G only Internet as a shutdown, tbh.
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According to https://internetshutdowns.in/ by @SFLCin , since 2012, there have been 251 Internet Shutdowns in Jammu & Kashmir.
- 221 from 2017-2020. 189 from 2018-2020.
- That's an average fof 63 Internet Shutdowns a year between 2018-2020.
Imagine life like that.
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- 221 from 2017-2020. 189 from 2018-2020.
- That's an average fof 63 Internet Shutdowns a year between 2018-2020.
Imagine life like that.
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3. What exactly is life like that? Last year, we ( @medianama) asked Kashmir journalist @AakashHassan to write for us on what life is like under an Internet Shutdown in Kashmir. Excerpts:
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3a. Farmann Shabir, preparing for critical Class 10 exams couldn't rely on online videos for preparation, the way he used to.
Students have to submit exam forms, but without the web and schools shut, they couldn't figure out when. Anxiety.
https://www.medianama.com/2020/07/223-kashmir-internet-shutdown-students/
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Students have to submit exam forms, but without the web and schools shut, they couldn't figure out when. Anxiety.
https://www.medianama.com/2020/07/223-kashmir-internet-shutdown-students/
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Coaching classes on 2G "A word from teacher reaches after five minutes”...“at times, it takes 20 minutes to connect to the meeting.” Access via 2G wasn't even guaranteed: blackouts taking place at regular intervals sometimes lasting a few days.
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3b. Nasir Altaf Lone, a Political Science student @ Government Degree College Baramulla wasn't able to attend online classes, and class notes as PDFs would take hours to download.
Mudasir Mir, a teacher, found that it took 3 weeks to teach something that ordinarily took 1.
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Mudasir Mir, a teacher, found that it took 3 weeks to teach something that ordinarily took 1.
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3b. Internet was critical for the growth of Musiab Nisar's furniture business in Kashmir.
"Internet broke market barriers for me. People from remote places, from different cities and regions, started contacting me”.
Post shutdown:no sales for 6 months. Cut half his staff
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"Internet broke market barriers for me. People from remote places, from different cities and regions, started contacting me”.
Post shutdown:no sales for 6 months. Cut half his staff
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3c. Samiullah's logistics business had around 500 merchants working with them, delivering ecommerce products.
Post shutdown: “We were paralyzed. We couldn’t do anything”.
https://www.medianama.com/2020/08/223-kashmiri-internet-shutdown-businesses/
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Post shutdown: “We were paralyzed. We couldn’t do anything”.
https://www.medianama.com/2020/08/223-kashmiri-internet-shutdown-businesses/
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3d. 1200 doctors in Kashmir were connected via WhatsApp for #SaveHeart initiative. When a heart attack patient was brought to any remote hospital in the valley, this group would connect the junior doctors to the senior specialists.
Doctors would upload an ECG report,
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Doctors would upload an ECG report,
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and other doctors would advise. Lives were saved because of this. Post the ban: no ECG report on the group.
https://www.medianama.com/2020/08/223-kashmir-internet-shutdown-medicine/
3e. Irfan Wani's e-pharmacy venture, the first in Kashmir, had to shut for 6 months post Internet shutdown.
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https://www.medianama.com/2020/08/223-kashmir-internet-shutdown-medicine/
3e. Irfan Wani's e-pharmacy venture, the first in Kashmir, had to shut for 6 months post Internet shutdown.
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3f. Shifa Clinical Lab, in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, couldn’t provide test reports to patients for months following the communication blackout in August.
The impact of an Internet Shutdown is real. On real people. On real businesses. On medical facilities. Students.
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The impact of an Internet Shutdown is real. On real people. On real businesses. On medical facilities. Students.
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Do watch this quip from @AakashHassan. Thank you for your work Aakash.
I hope we'll now get stories of lives improving because there is 4G Internet in Kashmir,& you're accessible to the rest of India.
IMO, Internet Shutdowns need to be banned.
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I hope we'll now get stories of lives improving because there is 4G Internet in Kashmir,& you're accessible to the rest of India.
IMO, Internet Shutdowns need to be banned.
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I won't repeat what I've said before about Internet Shutdowns.
Do read this thread from last week, when the Internet was shut down in parts of Delhi https://twitter.com/nixxin/status/1354237566204092418
Do read this thread from last week, when the Internet was shut down in parts of Delhi https://twitter.com/nixxin/status/1354237566204092418
