Every day, internet outages occur in some part of the world. Sometimes it is accidental, like a cable cut or a server going down, and sometimes intentional, like a cyberattack or a government shutdown. In such a situation, it is important to understand how robust the internet is and how quickly it can be restored back to normal.
2. Definition of Resilient Internet –
Resilient internet means a network that has the ability to provide service to users despite a fault, traffic pressure or an attack. This does not mean that there will never be an outage, but that the service is restored quickly after an outage and users do not face much trouble.
3. What are the challenges? –
Many types of challenges are faced on the internet every day. Sudden increases in traffic, suspicious activities (such as DDoS attacks), network outages, or technical glitches—all these affect the internet. If the network is not strong, in such a situation the connection may be lost and cannot be restored for a long time.
4. Four main pillars – There are four pillars to measure the strength of the Internet:
Infrastructure—Physical networks and cable systems that provide connectivity.
Security—Security of the network to avoid cyber attacks or accidental disruptions.
Performance—To see whether the Internet is working continuously and without interruption.
Market readiness—The Internet market should be competitive so that people can get good quality Internet at affordable prices.
5. Learnings from COVID-19—
During the pandemic, the world clearly saw how important a strong Internet is. In countries where the Internet was good, people were able to work and study from home easily. On the other hand, in countries where the network was weak, working from home and online classes became a big problem.
6. Problem of weak countries –
Low-income countries often have a weak network system. They lack strong cable infrastructure and backup systems. The result is that internet outages are frequent and last for a long time, affecting students, businesses and the general public.
7. What can be done? –
People should ask their ISPs whether they are using new protocols like IPv6 and RPKI. Apart from this, it is also important to report internet performance and outages and demand strong policies from the government so that the internet can be made reliable and safe for all.
8. Example of Africa—
In 2024, the internet of many countries in Africa collapsed simultaneously because several undersea cables were cut. However, in countries that had local networks, IXPs and cached content, the outage was fixed quickly and people faced less trouble. This shows how important local infrastructure is.
9. Importance of local collaboration—
When local networks and technical communities work together, the internet not only becomes faster but also safer. Local peering and IXPs reduce the impact of outages and make it easier for people to access content.
10. Future Needs—
In the future, transparent policies, investments in local infrastructure, and open-data systems will be needed to strengthen Internet resilience. Only then will the Internet become truly reliable and sustainable.
