Haji Zaid, spokesperson for the governor of Balkh, announced in the latest development that the use of fiber optic internet has been banned in the province by the order of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the caretaker government, in order to “prevent immorality.”
In a message posted on his X account, Mr. Zaid wrote that from now on, fiber optic internet will no longer be used to “prevent immorality” and that they are seeking alternatives.
At least two sources in Mazar-e-Sharif told Gohrshad Media that fiber optic internet has been cut off across Balkh province for several days.
The source stressed that Afghan Telecom’s wired internet services as well as all other internet providers have been shut down, but mobile internet remains active.
The source added that this disruption has affected online government services, banking operations, distance education, and normal business activities.
Currently, Afghanistan is connected to high-bandwidth internet through fiber optic cables linking it to five neighboring countries. The former government had invested 150 million dollars in the fiber optic project.
Consequences of Cutting Fiber Optic Internet
With the shutdown of fiber optic internet, access to high-speed internet in Afghanistan becomes very limited. Households, government offices, and companies can no longer use fast internet, leaving only low-speed mobile internet available.
This cutoff will also bring serious economic and social consequences.
Foreign investment will decline, connections with global markets will be restricted, and people—especially school students and university students—will be deprived of access to online education and information.
Fiber optic internet transmits data not through electricity but by using light beams inside glass cables. For this reason, its speed and stability are much higher than ordinary internet.
Extremely high data transfer speed, greater stability compared to mobile internet, and high capacity for transmitting large volumes of information are key features of fiber optic internet.
