In its latest quarterly analysis, Cloudflare has highlighted a sharp increase in large-scale internet outages across the globe during the first quarter of 2026. The report clearly shows that disruptions are no longer isolated incidents but are now driven by a complex mix of political decisions, environmental challenges, and infrastructure vulnerabilities.

To begin with, the company observed a noticeable rise in government-imposed internet shutdowns. This marks a significant change compared to the same period last year, when such state-directed disruptions were far less frequent. For example, Iran experienced one of the most prolonged outages, as internet traffic dropped to almost zero from early January through much of the month. Although authorities briefly restored access at intervals, a second nationwide shutdown later in the quarter once again pushed the country offline.

Moreover, Cloudflare noted that these restrictions relied heavily on filtering techniques rather than traditional routing withdrawals. Specifically, the use of “whitelists” and “white SIM cards” allowed only selected users to access approved platforms. As a result, this incident became one of the longest sustained internet disruptions in recent years.

Similarly, Uganda enforced a nationwide shutdown during its presidential election. Authorities instructed telecom operators to suspend internet services, causing traffic levels to fall dramatically. Although partial services resumed after the election results, full restoration took additional time. In addition, the Republic of Congo recorded comparable restrictions, where internet traffic dropped to near zero for approximately 60 hours during its election period.

At the same time, the report emphasizes how geopolitical conflicts are increasingly impacting digital infrastructure. Notably, drone strikes targeted facilities associated with Amazon Web Services in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. These attacks disrupted operations and led to rising connection failure rates across affected regions. In response, Amazon stated: “These strikes have caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery to our infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities that resulted in additional water damage.”

Furthermore, the impact extended beyond localized disruptions. Since many businesses rely on distributed cloud environments, the incident introduced a new level of risk where warfare directly affects global digital services. Likewise, in Ukraine, military actions damaged energy infrastructure in regions such as Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv, causing internet traffic to drop significantly before gradually recovering.

In addition to conflict-related issues, power failures continued to play a major role. For instance, Cuba experienced three nationwide power grid collapses in March alone, each leading to severe internet disruptions. This clearly demonstrates the strong link between aging electrical systems and digital connectivity.

Meanwhile, Cloudflare also identified outages tied to electricity failures in multiple regions, including Buenos Aires, Moldova, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, and the US Virgin Islands. In most cases, traffic dropped sharply before recovering once power systems were restored.

Severe weather further compounded these challenges. In Portugal, Storm Kristin caused widespread damage and power outages, resulting in internet traffic declines of up to 70% in certain areas. Recovery efforts extended over several weeks, underscoring the long-term effects of environmental disruptions.

Additionally, subsea cable failures emerged as a critical vulnerability. In the Republic of Congo, damage to the West Africa Cable System reduced internet traffic by more than 80%. Although backup systems and repair work eventually restored connectivity, the incident highlighted how a single cable fault can disrupt an entire nation.

Technical faults also contributed to outages worldwide. Cloudflare reported issues involving Verizon Wireless in the United States, Orange Guinée in Guinea, and TalkTalk in the United Kingdom, along with disruptions affecting Flow Grenada.

Overall, the findings indicate that internet disruptions are becoming more widespread and multifaceted. Rather than stemming solely from technical errors, outages now result from a combination of government intervention, infrastructure fragility, extreme weather, and even military actions. As Cloudflare put it: “The first quarter of 2026 was marked by an unusually high number of severe and prolonged Internet disruptions.”

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