A government agency has issued an order to suspend access to Meta platforms, including Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. The directive was given to International Internet Gateway (IIG) operators shortly after 1 PM today, Sunday.
The order comes as the anti-inequality student movement has launched a nationwide non-cooperation strike demanding government resignation. The strike has led to clashes across the country, including in Dhaka, Munshiganj, Rangpur, and Magura, where at least four people have been reported killed.
In response to the unrest, mobile operators were instructed to suspend 4G internet services around noon. This suspension means that mobile internet access is unavailable, leaving only 2G for voice calls. More than 120 million people in the country rely on mobile internet services.
An hour later, around 1 PM, IIG operators were verbally instructed to shut down Meta’s cache servers. However, broadband internet services remain operational at this time.
Earlier, following clashes related to the quota reform movement, mobile and broadband internet services were suspended from the night of July 17. Broadband internet was partially restored on July 23, and mobile internet resumed on July 28, although Meta platforms, including Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok, remained blocked. YouTube was accessible via broadband but not through mobile data.
