Telecom companies in Bahrain have been deliberately disrupting internet services in the village of Duraz between 7:00pm-1:00am everyday for 250 days. The current sustained levels of internet disruption in the village for over 8 months is unprecedented anywhere in the world.
The shutdown has been maintained by disabling cell towers and dropping approximately 90% of packets on fixed-line connections. A Bahrain Watch investigation found that the shutdown has been systematic and continuous since 23 June 2016. A coalition of NGO’s sent a letter to the Bahrain Telecommunications Regulation Authority in August 2016 but have not received a response. An economic analysis by Bahrain Watch now estimates the cost of the internet shutdown to be more than 210,000 Bahraini Dinars (more than half a million USD) paid for by consumers.
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