Following reports of a “possible worldwide Internet service interruption” to happen on October 11, UAE’s Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) has released a statement on Tuesday denying the rumors.
Taking to social media platform X, the authority said, “The TDRA wants to assure the public that recent reports of a possible worldwide internet service interruption on October 11 are incorrect.”
#TDRA No Disruption in Internet Services on 11th Oct.
We strongly encourage everyone to rely solely on our official channels.#UAE pic.twitter.com/XG0WrbHNLC— تدرا 🇦🇪 TDRA (@tdrauae) October 3, 2023
According to reports, a certain video is circulating online, appearing to show a news presenter apparently stating that Internet services would be down for a “limited period of time” around the world. However, some reports from Arab media channels stated that the video is manipulated.
Other reports linked the “worldwide Internet outage” to a possible solar storm expected in October, which was announced by NASA. This phenomenon can cause malfunctions and problems in all wireless communications networks, as well as to satellites and electricity networks, due to the effect of solar winds on Earth.
The TDRA urged the public to be cautious of what they read online, and rely only on information from legitimate sources.
“We strongly encourage everyone to rely solely on our official channels for accurate information to avoid unnecessary worry,” it advised.
