While USDP Parliament in Progress, Burmese Internet Speed at a Snail’s pace

MoeMaKa reporter (Yangon)

February 5, 2011

It is learnt that the internet speed for the public use is so slow during this week including Yangon area in Burma, and Myanmar Post and Telecommunications department (MPT) answered that the main server was down, when the internet cafes owners inquired about.

“The internet speed is very slow for a week. It’s worse in the afternoon than it is at night. Telecommunications office told us that they are trying to fix the server but they didn’t know when it will be done,” said a staffer, from an internet café from central Yangon.

A news editor from Yangon expressed his view that it is possible that the junta deliberately slowed the internet access, while the parliament was in progress so as to block the flow of information at home and to foreign based media; although some speculate that the speed was affected by use of internet on mobile phones, launching only several weeks ago.

“During this week, the internet users had difficulties logging in, and they saw only the read-out ‘TCP Error’ on the screen, couldn’t get access to websites”, said a user from Yangon.

It is also learnt that the day before the election the internet speed was too slow to use, and that condition returned to normal on the day after the polls. U Zaw Min Oo, a responsible person of MPT, revealed that Yadana Pone (Internet Service Provider) was attacked by hackers at that time.

In Burma, the internet access for the public is being provided via Yadana Pone gateway while the military government is using the special line called Naypyidaw gateway starting from the beginning of 2011.

Info technology experts remarked that by using this type of system, the junta would be able to cut off the public internet access when something politically important occurs to them without affecting their special gateway.