3G, 4G Restored in Bangladesh After 10-Hour Blackout Ahead of Election - Reports

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) asked local mobile operators on 29 December to restore 3G and 4G services in the country after shutting them down for almost 10 hours, the Daily Star newspaper reported, citing operators representatives.

According to the Daily Star newspaper, at around 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, the BTRC ordered the operators to shut down 3G and 4G services, thus slowing down mobile Internet and disabling users from online streaming, posting photos or videos, and communicating via messengers.

The move, reportedly requested by higher authorities, came ahead of looming election in the country, and the Internet slow-down was initially supposed to continue through to Monday.

Then, at around 7:30 a.m. local time (01:30 GMT), mobile operators received e-mails from the BTRC with a request to restore mobile internet speed, the newspaper said.

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The BTRC has already slowed down Internet speed for almost 24 hours back in August amid rallies, in which protesters called for boosting roads safety.

The general election will be held on Sunday in Bangladesh. Voters will choose 300 representatives for the unicameral Bangladeshi parliament.

About 40,000 polling stations will be opened throughout the country, with more than 600,000 police officers set to be engaged in ensuring security during the vote. The Ministry of Defense of Bangladesh has already confirmed its readiness to strengthen civilian law enforcement agencies by involving ground forces.