A recent nationwide internet shutdown in Afghanistan has exposed a significant vulnerability within the world’s leading decentralized blockchains: their heavy reliance on centralized internet providers, which are susceptible to both governmental interference and technical breakdowns. The country experienced a near-complete loss of internet connectivity for approximately 48 hours, with services resuming on October 1, according to a report by Reuters. The disruption was reportedly instigated by the Taliban government, although officials later attributed it to “technical issues” with fiber optic cables.
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The Challenge of Centralized Internet Providers
Despite the intention of blockchains to facilitate censorship-resistant and public networks for transferring value, their dependence on centralized internet services poses a significant challenge during connectivity disruptions. Michail Angelov, co-founder of the decentralized WiFi platform Roam Network, commented on the situation as a “wake-up call,” emphasizing that the promise of blockchain can falter when connectivity is controlled by a limited number of centralized providers.
Impact of the Internet Outage in Afghanistan
The shutdown of internet and mobile data services impacted approximately 13 million people in Afghanistan, according to a report from ABC News in September. This incident marked the first nationwide internet shutdown under Taliban governance, following previous regional restrictions aimed at curbing online activities deemed “immoral.” While the Taliban denied responsibility, attributing the outage to technical faults, including fiber optic cable issues, the incident underscores the fragile nature of centralized internet infrastructures.
Similar Internet Censorship in Iran
Iran has similarly faced internet censorship issues amid its ongoing conflict with Israel. In June, the Iranian government imposed a 13-day internet blackout, sparing only domestic messaging applications. This led many Iranians to seek hidden internet proxy links for temporary access, as reported by The Guardian on June 25.
The Push for Decentralized Internet Infrastructure
The internet blackout in Afghanistan has intensified calls for decentralized connectivity solutions that eliminate single points of failure. Decentralized wireless networks are emerging as viable alternatives to traditional internet providers, contributing to a broader technological movement known as decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN). Roam Network, for instance, is developing a smartphone-powered decentralized wireless network that utilizes crowdsourced mobile signal data to create a dynamic connectivity map. The project’s forthcoming eSIM implementation will allow devices to automatically choose the optimal internet option, including public carriers, private meshes, or peer-powered local networks, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity even during centralized network failures.
World Mobile and Helium: Leading Decentralized Networks
The World Mobile network, boasting 2.3 million daily active users across more than 20 countries, is currently the largest decentralized network, as indicated by data from worldmobile.io. In August, the project generated over $9.8 million in total revenue, distributed among AirNode operators, stakers, and other contributors. Meanwhile, Helium, the second-largest decentralized wireless network, operates in over 190 countries with 112,000 hotspots worldwide, supporting over 1.3 million daily users. Helium incentivizes users to host hotspots for internet coverage by offering Helium (HNT) token rewards.
The Future of Decentralized Connectivity
Advocates argue that the true potential of blockchain technology, in terms of financial freedom and censorship resistance, can only be realized when the internet infrastructure itself becomes more decentralized. As Angelov aptly stated, “If decentralization stops at the protocol layer, we haven’t really solved the problem — we’ve just shifted where the control lies.”
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