Escalating tensions and persistent protests have now prompted the government of Egypt to completely block all access to internet as well as SMS services.

Soon after protests against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak broke out on Tuesday, the communication blockade began with the blocking of microblogging site Twitter. This was elicited by the fact that the protestors were able to unite and organize rallies with the help of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Latest reports suggest that internet services were disrupted early on Friday. The blockade applied to all forms of internet access including 3G and Blackberry internet services. The short messaging service on mobile phones has also been hit.