Afghanistan faced a second day without internet and mobile phone service on Tuesday, after Taliban authorities cut the fibre optic network. On Monday night, mobile phone signal and internet service gradually weakened nationwide until connectivity was less than one percent of ordinary levels, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks. In the minutes before it happened, a government official warned AFP that the fibre optic network would be cut, affecting mobile phone services too. Telephone services are often routed over the internet, sharing the same fibre optic lines, especially in countries with limited telecoms infrastructure. In 2024, Kabul had touted the 9,350-kilometre (5,800-mile) fibre optic network -- largely built by former US-backed governments -- as a "priority" to bring the country closer to the rest of the world and lift it out of poverty.