The outage, which hit large parts of Hyderabad on August 20, a working day, sparked outrage among professionals, particularly in the tech sector. Representative image: iStock
Hyderabad internet outage disrupts IT, financial services; sparks public outrage
Indiscriminate cable cutting by state power utility TGSPDCL blamed for massive service disruptions across the city's tech and financial sectors
A major internet outage struck Hyderabad on Wednesday (August 20), disrupting IT operations and online financial transactions.
Internet service providers (ISPs) attributed the disruption to indiscriminate cable cutting by Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL), while the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) warned of severe service breakdowns.
Angry citizens flooded social media with complaints as restoration timelines remained uncertain.
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Sparks outrage
The outage, which hit large parts of Hyderabad on August 20, a working day, sparked outrage among professionals, particularly in the tech sector.
Frustration deepened as authorities, who had earlier advised work-from-home arrangements due to heavy rains, decided to remove internet cables without prior notice.
With networks down, routine work and banking operations came to a halt, severely affecting the digital financial ecosystem.
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Service providers clarify cause
As ISPs were unable to provide clarity on when services would resume, the public vented their anger at the TGSPDCL across social media platforms.
ISPs acknowledged the widespread blackout but clarified that the disruption did not stem from their internal network failures. Instead, they pointed to large-scale actions by the state power utility.
Through the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), service providers said the outages were triggered by aggressive and indiscriminate optical fiber cuts carried out by TGSPDCL.
Meanwhile, Director General, COAI , Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar stated, "The industry is actively working to resolve the issue and restore services at the earliest. We urge the department to avoid cutting optical cables, as such actions cause massive disruptions to internet connectivity, which is now an essential service."