Fake: Government has not order shut down of internet in India

New Delhi, Mar 27: Will internet services be shut down amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown.

The message on the social media reads that the government has ordered that internet services should be shut down in wake of this outbreak and the lockdown. The government has however clarified that no such order has been passed and neither will such an announcement be made. The news is fake the government has also said.

Earlier in the month, there were reports that the Cellular Operators Association of India had asked OTT players to reduce bandwidth. The request was made to lessen the pressure on telecom networks that are overloaded with extra traffic which was generated due to the lockdown and people working from home.

Many OTT players have agreed to reduce bitrates so that the telecom networks are under less pressure. The letter asked OTT players to move to standard definition instead of high definition streaming and also remove advertising and pop ups which usually consume high bandwidth.