Singapore – Government-directed internet shutdowns, power outages and natural disasters accounted for most of the 49 internet disruptions recorded worldwide during the third quarter of 2026, according to Cloudflare.
Between July and September, government-directed shutdowns were the leading cause, accounting for 19 incidents. Eighteen of these occurred in Iraq during scheduled examinations. Power outages accounted for 14 incidents across 10 countries, while natural disasters caused five disruptions.
The incidents highlighted the internet’s dependence on electricity, telecommunications infrastructure and government policy, with outages affecting countries including Cuba, Honduras, Ukraine, Guam, Colombia and Nepal.
Power outages disrupt connectivity
Cuba experienced four power-related internet disruptions during the quarter, on 6 July, 14 July, 3 August and between 18 and 20 September. Traffic declines ranged from 18% to 59%, reflecting the effects of an unstable power grid on connectivity.
In Honduras, a power failure at an interconnection facility on 10 September affected at least 11 major providers. The outage lasted approximately three hours, during which HTTP traffic across the country fell by 63%. Two providers, Telecomunicaciones de Guatemala and mobile carrier Celtel, were unaffected, suggesting their connectivity may rely more heavily on infrastructure outside Honduras.
In Sevastopol, Ukraine, a power outage on 5 July caused an eight-hour internet disruption, with HTTP traffic falling by 98%. A further outage on 12 August followed drone strikes targeting energy infrastructure, disrupting connectivity for 10 hours and reducing traffic by up to 95%.
Elsewhere, a cooling system failure at a data centre in Phoenix, US, on 13 August caused an almost complete drop in internet traffic from hosting provider Namecheap.
Power-related disruptions were also recorded in Eswatini, Botswana, Tajikistan, Kenya, Saint Lucia, Georgia and Gabon. Some resulted from sudden failures, while others were associated with planned load-shedding.
Natural disasters damage internet infrastructure
Severe weather and earthquakes also disrupted connectivity during the quarter.
In Guam, Super Typhoon Bavi caused widespread power outages after strong winds damaged transmission lines. The Guam Power Authority reported that only about 25% of distribution feeders remained online at one point. Internet traffic took several days to recover, following an earlier storm-related disruption on the island.
In Japan, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake prompted evacuation orders affecting approximately 150,000 people in Kumamoto. The impact on connectivity was more evident in desktop traffic, while mobile traffic remained largely unaffected.
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia in August damaged infrastructure and contributed to a four-and-a-half-day internet disruption. Damage to fibre-optic infrastructure was associated with a significant traffic decline for Colombia Telecomunicaciones.
In Nepal, flash floods on 26 August affected communities in the Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts, damaging infrastructure and essential services, including electricity. The resulting regional internet disruption lasted two hours, with HTTP traffic falling by up to 18%.
Exam-related shutdowns dominate government restrictions
Government-directed shutdowns were the most frequent cause of internet disruptions during the quarter, primarily because of scheduled examination-related restrictions in Iraq.
The shutdowns generally occurred between 03:30 and 04:00 UTC and lasted between 15 and 90 minutes. Most took place from 26 August to 28 September, while three occurred between 1 and 8 July.
In a video message, Iraq’s Minister of Communication, Mustafa Sanad, confirmed the shutdowns and said the government would develop a digital system to remove the need for centralised exam distribution and internet restrictions on examination days.
Syria and Sudan, which have also used examination-related shutdowns in recent years, did not record similar disruptions during the quarter. However, the absence of outages may reflect differences in examination schedules rather than a change in government policy.
Conflict and political developments affect connectivity
In Ethiopia, renewed conflict in the Tigray region coincided with a government-directed internet shutdown lasting 10 days. Traffic in the affected area fell to zero, while HTTP traffic at the country level declined by up to 30%.
The disruption recalled the telecommunications blockade imposed during Ethiopia’s civil war between 2020 and 2022, when Tigray faced restrictions affecting communications and access to essential services.
In Russia’s Far East, damage to fibre-optic cables on 19 September disrupted connectivity in Chukotka, Magadan Oblast, Kamchatka Krai and Sakhalin Oblast, coinciding with nationwide elections. Rostelecom described the incidents as deliberate damage to backbone fibre lines and said connectivity had been restored using backup channels. The available traffic data could not establish whether the damage was related to the elections.
Other network-level outages during the quarter affected One Communications in Guyana following a cable cut, MEO in Portugal following a reported “mass attack”, Digicel Haiti, TurkNet in Türkiye and Fanap Telecom in Iran.
Most outages recovered within three hours
Despite the range of disruptions, many networks restored connectivity relatively quickly. Fourteen incidents saw traffic return to typical levels in under an hour, while 16 recovered in less than three hours.
The findings underscore how internet access remains vulnerable to failures involving electricity, physical infrastructure, natural disasters, conflict and government restrictions. Although many outages were short-lived, disruptions can affect access to information, emergency coordination and essential services.
Cloudflare said it would continue monitoring global internet disruptions through its network and sharing observations as they occur.
