About a million Arizonans found the answer to that question in 2015.Around noon on a February weekday, the internet stopped working for folks from Flagstaff to Phoenix. A major fiber optic cable feeding several carriers and services was deliberately cut by vandals, stopping internet and telephone services for hundreds of miles.During that time, debit and credit cards ceased to work, leading businesses to close or go to all-cash transactions. Cellphones were useless, so there was no texting or calling.
The cable cut also shut down most landline phone services. This put 911 emergency calls into peril.As reported to CBS News, “In Prescott Valley, about 75 miles north of Phoenix, authorities said 911 service was being supplemented with hand-held radios and alternate phone numbers.Yavapai County spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn said 911 lines were limited Wednesday afternoon and authorities couldn’t access law enforcement databases.” In short, the answer to what would happen if the internet went down was that the lives of Arizonans came to a standstill that day – and that was a few years before the world became even more entwined with the internet during COVID.
A world without internet It wasn’t that long ago that we actually did live in a world without the internet.The “internet” in its most basic form as a “network of networks” officially launched on Jan.1, 1983, but dates back to the mid-1950s.
It wasn’t until 1989, when Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web and launched his first web client and server in 1990, that the internet as we know it started to take form.Back in 1995, less than 1% (0.77%) of the world was using the internet.Today, 66% of the world’s population uses the internet.
According to a report by Statista, “As of January 2024, there were 5.35 billion internet users worldwide, which amounted to 66.2 percent of the global population.” The worldwide pandemic forever changed the landscape of internet use, driving millions of people to stay home for work, school and entertainment.We’ve become dependent on internet access for every facet of our lives. The global cost of losing internet for a day If the internet went down for a day all over the world, it’s estimated that the global economy would lose $43 billion that day, with the U.S.getting hit the hardest at $11 billion. U.S.: $11 billion China: $9.8 billion U.K.: $3.8 billion Japan: $2.7 billion Germany: $1.5 billion India: $1.4 billion South Korea: $1.2 billion France: $870 million Italy: $640 million Canada: $580 million Source: Govtech What industries would be affected by a worldwide internet outage? Every facet of our daily lives would be changed in some way if the internet simply stopped working: Key services affected in an internet outage 911 and other emergency services Banking, including credit/debit transactions, cash withdrawals, banking app services, auto bill pay Cellphone and landline service, including all texting and messaging Business/warehouse production and tracking All social media interactions Hospital functions that include admittance, patient portal access, testing, surgery, billing Library services School services, including online lessons, portal updates Pharmacy interactions like dosage look-up, doctor approvals, script processing Delivery services Medical, dental and veterinary offices Salons with online appointment apps Retail and food establishments rely on online communications for payments and phone calls Transportation, including buses, taxis and ride-sharing services, airlines, shuttles and trains, can be affected by stoppage in ticket sales, scheduling and tracking Gasoline purchases at the pump How to prepare for an internet outage A mass internet outage would impact so much more than your day-to-day online activities, but there are still some steps you can take: Back up all essential data so you can access it offline Invest in backup connectivity methods, like an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) Download offline maps of your area so you can navigate without internet-based systems Document information like essential phone numbers, bank information, medical records and insurance policies Switch to cellular data (if you can) What to read next Read more Featured Does your internet or TV provider owe you money for their service outages? Robin Layton — 4 min read Featured The best cities in the U.S.
for the fastest internet Lisa Iscrupe — 4 min read Featured How to fix internet outages Lisa Iscrupe — 5 min read Latest Wednesday, July 1, 2026 If the internet went down for a day, what’s the worst that could happen? Robin Layton — 3 min read Tuesday, June 30, 2026 Why you should be testing your internet speed — and what to do next Lisa Iscrupe — 3 min read Monday, June 29, 2026 5 broadband myths that could be affecting your home internet use Camryn Smith — 3 min read
Read More
