The first quarter of 2026 saw a significant number of internet disruptions worldwide, ranging from government-ordered shutdowns to technical failures and natural disasters. Unlike the same period in 2025, which had no observed government-directed blackouts, the early months of 2026 witnessed prolonged shutdowns in Uganda and Iran. Power outages, military conflicts, severe weather, and cable damage also played major roles in cutting off connectivity. This article answers the most pressing questions about these incidents, based on data from sources like the Cloudflare Radar Outage Center.
What were the major government-directed internet shutdowns in Q1 2026?
Uganda and Iran both experienced lengthy government-ordered internet blackouts. In Uganda, the shutdown began on January 13 ahead of the presidential election, ordered by the Uganda Communications Commission. Internet was partially restored on January 17 after the incumbent president was declared winner, with full restoration announced on January 26. Iran’s shutdown occurred under different circumstances, with citizens facing restricted access for an extended period. These shutdowns sparked criticism from digital rights groups and lawsuits.
Why did Uganda shut down the internet during its election?
Ugandan authorities ordered a nationwide internet shutdown on January 13, 2026, citing the need to “curb misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks.” The Uganda Communications Commission instructed mobile operators to suspend public access. Traffic at the Uganda Internet Exchange Point dropped from ~72 Gbps to just 1 Gbps. The shutdown lasted until January 26, despite earlier promises that the internet would remain open. This repeated a pattern seen in the 2021 election. Legal challenges were filed by civil society organizations like CIPESA.
How did power outages affect internet connectivity in Q1 2026?
Power outages caused severe internet disruptions, most notably in Cuba, where the national electrical grid collapsed three separate times. Each collapse led to widespread internet blackouts across the island. Beyond Cuba, other regions also suffered connectivity loss due to electrical failures. These outages underscored the vulnerability of internet infrastructure to unstable power grids.
What impact did military conflict have on internet access?
Military actions disrupted connectivity in Ukraine, continuing a long-running trend. Additionally, conflict in the Middle East affected hyperscaler cloud infrastructure, meaning the impact extended beyond local users to global services hosted on those platforms. The precise locations and durations varied, but the disruptions were significant, highlighting how warfare can damage both physical cables and data centers.
Which natural and technical issues caused internet outages this quarter?
Severe weather knocked out internet connectivity in Portugal, while fiber cable damage disrupted service in the Republic of Congo. On the technical side, a problem hit Verizon Wireless in the United States, affecting mobile internet users. Unknown issues briefly impacted providers in Guinea and the United Kingdom. These cases show that disruptions stem from diverse causes: storms, cable cuts, software bugs, and unexplained failures.
Where can I find more detailed data on these disruptions?
This overview is based on observed and confirmed incidents from the first quarter of 2026. A more comprehensive list of traffic anomalies is available at the Cloudflare Radar Outage Center. Both bytes-based and request-based traffic graphs were used to illustrate impact. Note that this is not an exhaustive list; many smaller disruptions may have occurred but are not covered here.