Internet shutdowns cost India $3 billion from 2012-2017: Rajan Mathews

Mathews, an industry veteran, has worked in the Indian and US telecom sector in operations, business development and human resources over his 41-year-long career

Internet shutdowns are not only a freedom of speech issue, as a Supreme Court ruling, on making public government orders for shutdowns, said, but also a huge loss of revenue for telecom companies that are already financially struggling, Rajan Mathews, the director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), an industry association of telecom operators, told IndiaSpend in an interview.

The Indian economy lost nearly $3.04 billion (Rs 19,434.7 crore) due to internet shutdowns between 2012 and 2017,