Finally! Libya is back online. The recent rebel uprisings against the country’s long time leader Moammar Gadhafi was the reason Libya cut its Internet connectivity to stop using people and rebels from accessing social media sites to spread the word. Now after months of downtime, the internet access is not coming back to normal.
CNN reported that the internet was restored on Monday. Google’s web site, which tracks where its products are being used, showed a big spike in Libya’s Internet usage on Monday morning (Eastern time). Twitter messages from groups opposing Gadhafi’s rule have also been spotted. These kinds of activities are clues that the rebel forces have indeed been able to capture large parts of Libya long enough that Internet access can be repaired in those locations.
It’s estimated that just 6 percent of Libya’s citizens can access the Internet. Earlier this year, when the people of Egypt forced its long time president Hosni Mubarak to depart in a matter of days, about 25 percent of its citizens had access to the Internet.
[Neowin]