Day after J&K govt restores social media, internet broadband facilities are back in Valley

Kashmir has more than 20,000 broadband connections and only a few hundred mostly belonging to officials were restored after the subscribers submitted written bonds to the government. The broadband was restored on Thursday afternoon.

A day after the Jammu and Kashmir government restored social media in the Valley; the government also restored internet broadband facilities on Thursday.

The government order issued by J&K’s Home Secretary had said that the internet speed on mobile services will be restricted to 2G and the order will remain in force till March 17.(HT PHOTO.)

Kashmir has more than 20,000 broadband connections and only a few hundred mostly belonging to officials were restored after the subscribers submitted written bonds to the government. The broadband was restored on Thursday afternoon.

The PRO, BSNL, in a press statement said that services had been resumed. “The subscribers will be enjoying internet services with speed.”

For the first time since August 5, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday lifted the ban on social media and allowed access to all sites over the internet.

The government order issued by J&K’s Home Secretary had said that the internet speed on mobile services will be restricted to 2G and the order will remain in force till March 17.

For the first time on January 24, the J&K administration had announced restoration of low speed mobile internet and fixed line connectivity in all districts with access to a white list of around 301 websites with restrictions on all other websites including social media. The announcement followed the Supreme Court’s January 10 directive to review the ban on internet services in the UT every week.

After the Supreme Court’s directions, the government on January 15 had also restored broadband facilities (with mac-binding) in government offices, banks and to facilitate tourism, tour and travel establishments.

People in Kashmir were eagerly waiting for restoration of broadband services, especially businessmen who had suffered losses due to the snapping of broadband and internet facilities.

Mobile phones, landlines and internet services were disconnected in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir on August 4, ahead of the abrogation of Article 370.

Landlines were restored between mid-August and September and postpaid mobile services were back on October 14. Mobile internet services were restored in Kargil, a part of the UT of Ladakh, on December 27. SMS services on all mobile phones in Kashmir, and broadband internet services in government-run hospitals were restored from January 1.