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Moscow Businesses Reel as Mobile Internet Blackout Enters Second Week
Moscow's mobile internet outages, attributed to security against drone attacks, have disrupted business and daily life, costing up to $12.5 million daily, officials said.
- On March 5, mobile internet shutdowns began on some outskirts and then swept into downtown earlier this week, blocking many foreign websites and disrupting millions of Moscow residents and businesses.
- Russian authorities have adopted new restrictive laws and promoted domestic platforms to control online traffic, banning noncompliant sites and pushing the national messenger MAX, which critics view as a surveillance tool.
- Businesses that rely on mobile payments faced direct revenue losses, with Kommersant estimating Moscow firms lost about $38 million to $63 million in five days; ATMs and parking meters relying on cellphone internet stopped working, forcing taxi apps to use phone calls and cash payments.
- On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov defended the shutdowns as 'in strict conformity with the law' and said parliament members reported near-total mobile outages in the lower house building.
- Amid shutdowns, previously obscure devices like pagers and walkie-talkies saw renewed interest as retailers recorded surging demand for alternative devices, while technology to monitor and manipulate online traffic has been perfected.
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129 Articles
129 Articles
Russians go old school: Pagers, walkie-talkies, and paper maps are flying off the shelves. Here's why
Russia is under an internet blackout, with services and businesses hit. Experts say that Moscow could be preparing for widespread web censorship. The unavailability of the internet has led people to turn to walkie-talkies and pagers, and sales have shot up.
·Noida, India
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Pagers and paper maps are making a comeback in Moscow – and no, it's not a retro trend
For roughly the past week, mobile internet across central Moscow and parts of St. Petersburg has been intermittently failing. People can't load apps, hail cabs, or, in some cases, even make a basic phone call. That last point is particularly concerning. Entire voice networks have gone dark in parts of...Read Entire Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources129
Leaning Left28Leaning Right15Center26Last UpdatedBias Distribution40% Left
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources lean Left
40% Left
L 40%
C 38%
R 22%
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