Just before nightfall on Wednesday, local time, the near-deserted streets of Afghanistan’s capital Kabul suddenly filled with people.<\/p>\n
Mobile phones everywhere had pinged back to life.<\/p>\n
With phones pressed to their ears or tightly gripped in their hands, Afghans poured onto the streets to check if others were also online.<\/p>\n
“Congratulations, the internet is back!” a shopkeeper shouted, as drivers honked in response.<\/p>\n
Children were handed balloons, parents bought sweets and friends gathered in restaurants, all while chatting animatedly on their phones.<\/p>\n
For 48 hours, Afghans had been offline, cut off from mobile and internet services in a telecommunications shutdown imposed by authorities without warning.<\/p>\n
“It felt we had gone back centuries. We were thinking of sending letters just to get updates from our families,” mobile phone shop owner Mohammad Rafi said.<\/p>\n
“The streets were empty, it felt like a holiday even though it was a weekday. But now, even in evening, it’s crowded again,” the 33-year-old added.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The streets of Kabul were quickly filled with people on their phones on Wednesday. (Reuters: Sayed Hassib)<\/p>\n
Sohrab Ahmadi, a 26-year-old delivery driver, had sat idle for two days, unable to reach clients through the apps he works for.<\/p>\n
Now, rows of bikes lined up to collect orders from restaurants lit by neon signs or from juice vendors playing music.<\/p>\n
“It’s like Eid al-Adha; it’s like preparing to go for prayer,” he said.<\/p>\n
Also visible on the streets was an increase in the number of women, who have faced sweeping restrictions under the Taliban government, including a ban on education beyond primary school.<\/p>\n
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I’m breathing again,” said one young woman, who is studying online and asked not to be named.<\/p>\n
“Online classes are the only hope left for Afghan girls.”<\/p>\n
‘A loss for everyone’<\/p>\n
The United Nations said the shutdown in connectivity threatened economic stability and exacerbated one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.<\/p>\n
The Taliban government has yet to comment on the blackout.<\/p>\n
However, it came weeks after the government said it would begin cutting high-speed internet in some provinces to prevent “immorality”.<\/p>\n
Balkh provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid said at the time the ban had been ordered by the Taliban’s shadowy supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Vendors are reliant on mobile services in Afghanistan to do business, including in many rural areas.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 (Reuters: Sayed Hassib)<\/p>\n
The internet was still a relatively nascent technology during the Taliban’s first rule between 1996 and 2001, when the country was too war-torn and poor to build infrastructure.<\/p>\n
But in recent decades, the economy has become increasingly dependent on internet connectivity.<\/p>\n
Even in rural areas, many Afghans use mobile phones to conduct business.<\/p>\n
“The world has progressed. This is not like 30 years ago,” said mobile credit seller Ghulam Rabbani, whose store was packed on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
“We were hopeful that internet would return. It was a loss for everyone \u2014 including the government.”<\/p>\n
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