The 2021 Bac exams began on Sunday, June 20, against a backdrop of concern about the resurgence of the phenomenon of fraud that has affected this examination in recent years, which opens the doors to higher education for laureates.
Unsurprisingly, and as for more than five years, the authorities have cut the internet to fight against cheating and the dissemination of subjects on social networks.
From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Algeria is almost disconnected from the internet, with total cuts at the start of the events in the morning, and in the afternoon, and severe disturbances the rest of the day. You have to wait until 5:00 p.m. for the connection to return.
“Restriction of access to certain networks for a specified period”
These cuts were announced, neither by the government nor by the operators of fixed and mobile telephony. This Tuesday, on the third day of the exams, Algérie Télécom finally broke the silence, in a press release posted on social networks. The public operator, an ADSL Internet monopoly, refers to a “restriction of access to certain networks for a fixed period”.
Algeria Telecom explains that, like the other operators, it “takes care to support the conduct of the baccalaureate exams in order to contribute to the success of the 2021 session and to ensure it more credibility and integrity”.
This restrictive measure “excludes any deliberate cut off of the Internet”, assures Algeria Telecom, adding that it is ” limited to access to certain networks through which the content is shared, it is only during the first half of the time allocated to each test. The public operator of fixed telephony and only supplier of Internet ADSL does not detail the networks affected by these restrictions which nevertheless and considerably affect the functioning of the Algerian economy.
To conclude, Algérie Telecom affirms that it “remains at the disposal of its customers and takes care of all their concerns while ensuring to intervene as soon as possible in the event of disturbances on the network.”
