Staff Reporter :An internet blackout drill was supposed to take place in the city’s certain place on Monday night in a bid to take immediate measures to cut internet operation in case of an emergency like the deadly terror attack in city’s café. Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) at a meeting on Monday on ‘total internet blackout drill’ took the decision to shut down the internet operation. The internet blackout drill might last for half an hour to one hour. The residence of city’s Ramna area would experience blackout drill on Monday night, an official of BTRC preferring not be named said. “The blackout would take place anytime between 5:30pm on Monday and 2:00am on Tuesday at any certain place of the city as part of a drill whether the authorities could shut down internet operation in case of an emergency like the Holey Artisan Bakery incident,” BTRC Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood told journalists on Monday.He said the internet blackout drill is actually a test of BTRC’s ability to do so.A letter regarding an internet blackout drill was sent to the Post and Telecommunications Ministry. “Earlier, we faced some problems to shut down the internet in Gulshan area during the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery on July 1,” Shahjahan Mahmood said. He added they would shut down internet operation in any area on Friday night to gather an experience so that they can take immediate step in case of emergency.”Such internet blackout drill will continue in the capital’s other places as well as other metropolitan cities in the country in phases. ISPAB is assisting us in the blackout drill,” BTRC Chairman said. The BTRC notified the decision to all the related ISPs asking them to acknowledge the instruction by replying immediately through mentioning the time of receipt, then ensure total internet blackout of the particular area as instructed in the mail.And once the blackout is done, the ISPs were asked to confirm through another reply to the BTRC.The purpose of this drill is to see if the ISPs can coordinate among themselves properly when there is a national crisis to isolate an affected area, said Shahjahan Mahmood.
