Kazakhstan, the second-largest BTC mining hash rate in the global market, is experiencing a major internet shut down for the country after their cabinet resigned amidst the ongoing anti-government protests. According to NetBlocks, a network data provider, Kazakhstan was in a nationwide internet blackout on Wednesday. The normalized network connectivity fell to a mere 2%. This measure was likely made to limit the anti-government protests of the nation.
Kazakhtelecom, another leading telecom company in the nation, shut down their internet connection for all the users. According to a few reports, even the cellular networks of the users were disabled in some cities like Almaty. This internet outrage began only after the Kazakhstan government resigned from their seat during the protests, which was primarily due to the rise of the fuel prices in the nation. The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, declared a state of emergency in Almaty and the surrounding province.
According to many sources, these protests were also dedicated to the lack of democracy in the country. Tim Ash, a marketing strategist at BlueBay Asset Management, stated how the youth of Kazakhstan are now focused on gaining similar freedom like other countries such as Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and others. The protests even expanded to massive gunfire with the state security people, such as the police force and the national guard.
However, this latest internet blackout may affect the overall BTC hash rate. As Kazakhstan accounted for at least 18% of the total BTC mining hash rate globally as of October 2021, this could make a massive difference to the numbers. Many Chinese BTC holders were also relocating to Kazakhstan after the ban on crypto by the Chinese government in September 2021.