Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain Watch organization has estimated the cost of internet shutdown on residents to be over $500 thousands, noting that telecom companies in Bahrain have been deliberately disrupting internet services in the village of Diraz between 7:00pm-1:00am everyday for 250 days. This is according to investigations conducted by the organization last August.

The shutdown has been maintained by disabling cell towers and dropping approximately 90% of packets on fixed-line connections. A coalition of NGO's sent a letter to the Bahrain Telecommunications Regulation Authority in August 2016 but have not received a response. 

An economic analysis by Bahrain Watch now estimates the cost of the internet shutdown to be more than 210,000 Bahraini Dinars (more than half a million USD) paid for by consumers.

Despite the nightly shutdown, Bahrain Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have forced residents to pay their monthly subscription costs in full for interrupted services. They have threatened to impose significant fines if payments are delayed or if customers attempt to end their subscription. The level of fines differ across the different ISP's and depending on the duration of consumer contracts.

In an earlier report Bahrain Watch has calculated that the estimated costs of the shutdown after 135 days. The total amount paid by consumers in Diraz during that period was over 100,000 Bahraini Dinars (BD).

The Bahraini government kicked off a tightened siege on Diraz since June 23, 2016, after hundreds of residents started an open-ended sit-in outside the house of Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, in protest of his citizenship revocation.

Arabic Version