The government on Sunday blocked mobile internet access and disabled Meta's social media platforms Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram as student protests flared up across the nation.
Several top executives of mobile operators told The Financial Express that they were ordered to switch off 4G mobile internet around midday on Sunday due to escalating violence across the country, leaving users with only 2G voice calls.
Mobile operators said they received verbal instructions from the Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Authority (BTRC).
The latest move affected more than 120 million mobile internet users.
International Internet Gateway (IIG) companies, without naming the government agency, said they were told to block Meta platforms shortly after 1 pm on Sunday.
An hour later, they received a verbal order to shut down Meta's cache servers. However, fixed-line broadband internet remained operational.
Users in Dhaka and other parts of the country reported slow broadband internet speeds.
The 'Students Against Discrimination' has launched a widespread protest movement demanding the government's resignation. Clashes have erupted in several areas, including the capital.
During the quota reform protests last month, mobile internet was suspended on the night of 17 July, followed by a broadband shutdown the next day.
Broadband was partially restored on July 23 and the mobile network was reactivated on July 28 after a 10-day outage.
Despite this, Meta platforms, TikTok and YouTube via mobile data remained inaccessible.
Social media, including Facebook, was restored on July 31 but Meta's cache on the mobile network was disabled on August 2. Telegram was also blocked on the mobile network that day but was reinstated after five and a half hours.
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