In an interview with Hetq, Karabakh Telecom Deputy Director Mkhitar Mirzoyan said that while mobile telephone connections exist, internet connectivity remains a problem because the main line from Vardenis-Stepanakert passed through the Karvatchar region that has since been handed over to Azerbaijan.

Mirzoyan said the other internet cable via Shushi was damaged in the war and that attempts are underway to fix it.

He wouldn’t say, specifically, whether the fact that the cable now passes through an area under Azerbaijani control poses a security risk to internet users in Artsakh.

As to why it’s now difficult to place a mobile call to Artsakh from Armenia, Mirzoyan said it’s because the system is overloaded.

People are making many calls and talking for a long time because the calls are now free. There’s an overload problem,” he said.