Internet Shutdown in Tanzania - What You Need to Know, and Future Preparedness

[Amba Samedi]

Hello peeps,
Never written in English on this forum. I'm Tanzanian, and I watched stuff happen during the elections. With respect to the internet, here's is a simple timeline:

• October 29, 2025 (Election Day): A major internet blackout started.
• Groups that measure the internet (like NetBlocks) saw that internet traffic in Tanzania dropped by about 90%.
• For about five days: The internet was very slow or completely off for most people.
• Around November 3, 2025: As the president was sworn in, the internet started to come back for most people.
• But, there was a new problem: Even with the internet back, many people could not open specific apps. These included Facebook, X (Twitter), WhatsApp, JamiiForums, YouTube, TikTok Live, and Instagram Live.
• To open these apps, many people had to use a tool called a VPN.

This was a deliberate shutdown. It was not a broken cable or a normal network problem.

1. What is an Internet Shutdown?​

An internet shutdown is when a government orders telephone and internet companies to turn off or slow down internet access for many people.

Think of it like this:

• Imagine the internet is a set of big, main roads into your town.
• A shutdown is like the government closing all those main roads. No cars (data) can come in or go out.
• Or, they put a huge roadblock on every road so no one can pass.

Groups that protect people's rights online, and African institutions, say that shutdowns harm human rights. They say it is especially bad during elections when people need to get and share information.

2. Types of Shutdowns and Blocking​

There are different ways the internet can be limited.

a. Full Blackout (Total Shutdown)​

This is when everything is turned off.

• Mobile data stops.
• Home internet stops.
• You cannot load any website. You cannot use any app, not even your banking app or Google.

b. Throttling (Kufinya Kasi)​

This is when the internet is made very, very slow on purpose.

• Your apps still "work," but they keep spinning ("loading... loading...").
• Videos will not play.
• WhatsApp messages take a long time to send.
• This is like creating a huge, artificial traffic jam on the data "road" so only a few cars can move.

c. Platform Blocking (Kufungia Apps Fulani)​

This is when only some websites or apps are blocked.

• For example, Facebook, X, and WhatsApp are blocked.
• But you can still use Google, your banking app, or local news websites.
• This is what many people in Tanzania saw before elections and after November 3.

Partial Feature Blocking​

This is a very specific type of blocking.

• Example: You can open TikTok or Instagram and scroll to see old posts. But you cannot watch "Live" video or upload your own new video.
• Analogy: This is like allowing people to enter a market, but closing certain exclusive shops.

3. How Governments Technically Do This​

Here are the steps, explained simply.

a. The Government Order​

1. The government, often through its regulator (like TCRA in Tanzania), sends an official, legal order.
2. This order goes to all internet service providers (ISPs). This includes mobile companies like Vodacom, Tigo, Airtel, and Halotel, and home internet companies.
3. The order tells them what to do. For example: "Block access to these 10 websites" or "Turn off all mobile data in the whole country."
4. By law, the companies must obey this order.

b. What Telecom Companies Do​

The companies use tools in their network to follow the order. Here are the most common tools:

• DNS Blocking:
  
  • Simple idea: DNS is the internet's "phonebook." It changes a name you know (like facebook.com) into a number the computer understands (an IP address).
  • How it works: The company tells its "phonebook" to "forget" the number for Facebook. When you try to go to Facebook, the phonebook says, "Sorry, I don't know that name," and you get an error.
    
• IP Blocking:
  • Simple idea: An IP address is the real "address" (a number) for a website or app.
  • How it works: The company puts a roadblock in front of that specific address. Any data from your phone trying to go to that "address" is stopped and dropped.
    
• Port and Protocol Blocking:
  • Simple idea: Different services use different "doors" (ports) to work. Live video uses one "door," while a simple text message uses another.
  • How it works: The company can close just the "door" that live video uses. This is how they can block Instagram Live but still let you see photos.
    
• Throttling:
  • The company uses its tools to find all data going to YouTube and makes it move very, very slowly.

c. What You See on Your Phone​

When this happens, this is your experience:

• Your WhatsApp messages stay on one grey tick (sent) and never get two ticks (delivered).
• Facebook or X apps keep spinning and never load new posts.
• YouTube videos show a spinning circle forever.
• You might think, "My network is bad today" (network imeharibika).
• But in reality, the network is working. The path from your phone to that specific app has been blocked on purpose by your provider, following the order.

d. Blocking Only Parts of Apps​

Governments can be very specific. They can order companies to block:

• Live video (like TikTok Live, Facebook Live).
• Uploading photos or videos.
• Searching for certain topics.
• This was seen in Tanzania in 2025, where live video was restricted on many platforms.

4. Examples from Other African Countries​

This is part of a trend seen in other countries in Africa.

• Cameroon: In 2017–2018, during protests in the Anglophone regions, the government ordered the internet to be cut for months. People had to travel to other parts of the country just to get a signal, or they had to use VPNs.
• Uganda: During the 2016 and 2021 elections, authorities ordered ISPs to block social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, WhatsApp). In 2021, there was a full internet blackout for several days around the election.

5. Daily Impact on Ordinary Life in Tanzania​

The shutdown did not just affect politics. It touched the daily lives of everyone.

• Shops and Small Businesses:
  • Mobile money services (M-Pesa, TigoPesa, Halopesa) became slow or stopped.
  • Instagram and WhatsApp shops could not take orders or talk to customers.
  • Traders could not receive payments or confirm deliveries.
    
• Transport and Logistics:
  • Boda-boda and truck drivers could not use online maps.
  • Fuel card systems and logistics apps stopped working.
  • This caused delays at borders and in cities.
    
• Hospitals, Emergencies, and Family:
  • It was very hard to send emergency money to a sick relative.
  • People could not find out if their family members in other cities were safe.
    
• Students and Workers:
  • Online classes stopped.
  • Schools and colleges were closed.
  • People working from home could not do their jobs.

At some point, even VPNs could not work.

6. What is a VPN? (And What It Can and Cannot Do)​

Many people started using VPNs. Here is a simple explanation.

a. What is a VPN?​

• Think of a VPN as a secure, private tunnel on the internet.
• Normally, your ISP can see you are visiting Facebook.
• With a VPN, your data first goes into the "tunnel" and travels to a server in another country (like USA, South Africa, or Germany).
• From that country, it then goes to Facebook.
• Your ISP only sees that you are connected to the "tunnel." It cannot easily see that you are using Facebook or WhatsApp inside that tunnel.

b. What VPNs CAN Do​

• They can help you access blocked apps (like Facebook, X, WhatsApp) IF the general internet is still on.
• They helped many people in Tanzania after November 3, when only some apps were blocked.

c. What VPNs CANNOT Do​

• This is very important: A VPN CANNOT work if there is a full internet blackout.
• Analogy: You cannot build a tunnel (VPN) if the main road (the internet) has been completely destroyed. You must have some internet connection for a VPN to work.
• A VPN also cannot protect you from power cuts.

d. Simple Scenario (Tanzania 2025)​

• During the full blackout (Oct 29 - Nov 3): VPNs did not work because there was no internet "road" at all.
• After the internet returned (post-Nov 3): The "road" was open, but there were "roadblocks" to Facebook and X. A VPN helped you build a "tunnel" to go around those roadblocks.

7. How to Prepare for Future Shutdowns​

You can take simple steps to be ready, just in case. This is not about politics; it is about practical preparation.

a. Personal Preparation​

• Save important phone numbers in your phone's contact list or on a piece of paper, not just in WhatsApp.
• Keep offline copies of important documents.
• Remember how to use SMS (regular text messages) and USSD codes (like 15000#) for mobile money, as these often work when data is off.

b. Community Preparation​

• Talk to your community groups (church, mosque, SACCOS, youth groups) about how you will share information if the internet is off.
• Use other channels: SMS groups, community notice boards, and especially local radio. Local radio becomes very important when the internet is cut.

c. Get Alternative Internet (Important)​

• Satellite internet work when everything goes off, just like your TV doesn't go off when there's no internet.
• They don't depend on cable internet used by mobile ISPs. Invest in one.
• Companies like Konnect high-speed satellite Internet | Konnect Tanzania offer satellite internet. And we also home Starlink will have access to the country to help in future instances.

d. Use Tools Responsibly​

• If you want to use a VPN, learn about it before a crisis.
• Choose a trusted, safe VPN.
• Always practice good digital safety: use strong passwords and two-factor authentication.

Conclusion: The Internet is Probably the 4th Basic Need Today​

The internet is not just for politics or social media. It is for business, for family, for school, and for health.

When the internet is shut down, it hurts everyone. It stops small businesses from working, stops students from learning, and stops families from connecting.

It is important for all of us to stay informed, to support each other, and to value an open and safe internet as a tool for our daily lives.

 

[Reene97]

Very well detailed👏🏽

 

[The Burning Spear]

Very well detailed👏🏽

safi

 

[Papaaa mukuubwaaa]

Vyema