Q1 2026 Internet Outages: A Comprehensive Q&A

The first quarter of 2026 saw a notable spike in Internet disruptions worldwide, driven by government actions, infrastructure failures, and geopolitical tensions. Unlike the same period in 2025, this quarter featured prolonged government-directed blackouts in Uganda and Iran. Power grid collapses in Cuba, military conflict affecting Ukraine and Middle Eastern cloud services, severe weather in Portugal, cable damage in Congo, and various technical glitches in the US, Guinea, and the UK also made headlines. Below, we answer key questions about these events, drawing on data from the Cloudflare Radar Outage Center.

1. What major government-directed Internet shutdowns occurred in Q1 2026?

Uganda and Iran experienced lengthy, government-ordered Internet blackouts during Q1 2026. In Uganda, authorities shut down nationwide Internet access from January 13 to 17 ahead of the presidential election, citing the need to curb misinformation and fraud. Traffic at the Uganda Internet Exchange Point plummeted from 72 Gbps to 1 Gbps. Partial restoration began after President Museveni was declared winner, with full service restored on January 26. Digital rights groups sued the Uganda Communications Commission and telecoms. Iran also faced a prolonged shutdown during Q1 2026, though detailed dates and causes were not disclosed in the summary. This marked a sharp contrast to Q1 2025, which had no observed government-directed shutdowns.

2. How did power outages impact Internet connectivity in Cuba?

Cuba suffered three separate collapses of its national electrical grid during Q1 2026, each causing widespread Internet outages. Power failures directly affected the operation of mobile towers, data centers, and home broadband equipment. The repeated grid collapses highlighted the fragility of Cuba’s energy infrastructure and its cascading effect on digital connectivity. While the exact duration of each outage varied, the cumulative impact left many Cubans without reliable web access for extended periods. These disruptions compounded ongoing economic challenges and limited access to information and communication tools.

3. What role did military conflict play in disrupting the Internet during Q1 2026?

Active military operations in Ukraine continued to disrupt local Internet connectivity throughout Q1 2026, affecting both civilian and military communications. Additionally, conflict in the Middle East impacted hyperscaler cloud infrastructure—large-scale data centers operated by companies like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. These disruptions not only influenced regional Internet performance but also had global implications for services hosted on those platforms. While direct attacks on Internet infrastructure remain limited, the collateral damage from airstrikes and cyber operations remains a persistent threat in conflict zones.

4. How did severe weather and cable damage cause outages in Portugal and Congo?

In Portugal, severe weather—including storms and flooding—knocked out Internet connectivity for various communities during Q1 2026. The damage to above‑ground cables, power lines, and network equipment caused temporary but widespread outages. In the Republic of Congo, physical damage to undersea or terrestrial cables disrupted service for multiple providers. The exact cause was not specified, but cable cuts—whether from ship anchors, construction, or natural erosion—are common in coastal regions. Both incidents underscore the vulnerability of Internet infrastructure to environmental factors.

5. What technical issues affected mobile networks in the United States, Guinea, and the UK?

Verizon Wireless in the United States experienced a technical problem in Q1 2026 that disrupted data and voice services for some customers. The company did not immediately disclose the root cause, but such issues often stem from software bugs, router misconfigurations, or fiber cuts. In Guinea, an unknown issue briefly interrupted connectivity for customers of local providers. Similarly, users in the United Kingdom faced a short‑lived disruption—also from an unidentified cause. These incidents, while typically resolved quickly, highlight how even minor technical glitches can affect thousands.

6. What is the scope of the Cloudflare Radar Outage Center's data?

The Cloudflare Radar Outage Center (CROC) tracks and documents observed and confirmed Internet disruptions worldwide. It uses both bytes‑based and request‑based traffic graphs to illustrate the impact of each event. The Q1 2026 summary in this article is not exhaustive; the CROC maintains a larger list of detected traffic anomalies. Researchers and the public can access this repository to examine historical patterns and real‑time data. The center’s goal is to provide transparent, data‑driven insights into the health of the global Internet, helping stakeholders understand vulnerabilities and improve resilience.

7. How did the Uganda shutdown unfold and what were the consequences?

Uganda’s shutdown began on January 13, 2026, at 18:00 local time, when the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) ordered mobile operators to suspend public Internet access ahead of the January 15 presidential election. The UCC claimed the measure was necessary to prevent misinformation and electoral fraud. Cloudflare data showed traffic dropping to near zero and remaining that way until January 17, when partial restoration occurred after President Museveni was declared winner. Full connectivity returned on January 26. The shutdown drew lawsuits from digital rights groups like CIPESA and criticism from telecoms MTN and Airtel, who confirmed restrictions were lifted. This was Uganda’s second election‑related blackout; a similar shutdown happened in 2021 despite government promises it would not recur.