Could Bitcoin still exist if the internet was shut down worldwide for a week?

[Marvell1]

Look at the role of the Internet in the world and the global economy today. It is considered the backbone of the modern world and is an indispensable part of our daily lives. The entire economic activity of the world is based on and completely dependent on the Internet. So if the Internet suddenly stopped working, it would be a global disaster and we would have more things to worry about than the future of bitcoin.

If that happens, our world will return to the Stone Age. Therefore, the government will never let that happen.

I dare say that the scenario of a global internet disconnection will never happen.

[Swordsoffreedom]

The problem is that will never happen, the government will never let an internet blackout happen, let alone for a week.

Water is an essential nutrient and humans would die without it. Likewise, the role of the Internet in the modern world economy is extremely essential and important. Without it, the economy would collapse. Therefore, the scenario of a global internet shutdown for a week or more is unlikely.

I know this is just hypothetical but come up with more realistic hypotheticals, discussing situations that are likely to never happen is pointless.

You think Internet shutdown is not possible ? It is already happening in many countries. Many governments have done this recently.

Your topic is about a global internet outage for a week, not just a region or a few countries. The government can temporarily shut down the Internet due to political instability or natural disasters, floods to ensure national safety or security. That is completely normal and has no effect on bitcoin. But shutting down the global internet is a different story because the consequences affect not only the economy of a country but also the global economy. That is why I believe this scenario is very unlikely or will never happen.

[Abiky]

That is impossible, governments will never let that happen because it will cause extremely serious consequences and damage to the global economy.

Remember the CrowdStrike incident in 2024 that left over 8.5 million Windows devices offline. The result was a series of incidents and disruptions from government agencies, airlines, hospitals and banks, all of which were forced to shut down and fall into chaos. Although there are no official reports, damage estimates run into billions of dollars. Imagine what would happen to our economy if the global internet stopped working. Therefore, a global Internet shutdown is almost impossible.

Of course they won't. The only way this can work is if governments "reset" the Internet, giving businesses ample time to jump back in. But would cause a temporary disruption in the economy. The cost of taking down Bitcoin by shutting down the Internet is simply not worth it.

Either governments embrace the revolution or get left behind in the dust. They're already joining the Bitcoin bandwagon by regulating it. With KYC checks and whatnot, they will be able to enforce partial control over Bitcoin. Most governments are already taxing Bitcoin, so they have nothing to lose. I'm sure that one way or another, Bitcoin will survive. Just my opinion

[WhoYouCantKill]

No Bitcoin will not halt completely. Even when the internet shuts down in half part of the globe, there are offline alternatives such as mesh networks, satellites and even radio means of transmission which can broadcast and confirm transactions. These solutions may not be widespread, yet they serve as backup system to enable the network stay awake. Bitcoin creation gave it the ability to stay resilient, therefore whether disruption can delay it yet cannot stop it totally.

[Graph001]

Would Bitcoin survive through offline solutions like mesh networks and satellites, or would it completely halt?

Yes, if the internet is down worldwide, it is possible to sustain Bitcoin through mesh networks and satellites. Yes, but it is also true that it will not be possible to do this for a long time, and it will not be as easy as we can invest in and transact with Bitcoin now, and it will also be very expensive and time-consuming considering the circumstances. Although there is no possibility that the internet will be down for such a long time all over the world since it has become an important part of our lives.

[Sammye3]

Would Bitcoin survive through offline solutions like mesh networks and satellites, or would it completely halt?

Bitcoin would likely still exist after this occurrence but it could only affect its value after the incident. It shouldn't be a debate if Bitcoin would survive this incident as it's not dependent on the Internet solely for its price manipulation or survival but a means for operation and networking which is also an important factor. But the world has gone beyond such situations as there would definitely be an alternative to an Internet source as it's need is highly valued. It's the world not a country so there would be measures to combat that definitely.

[fikrett]

No Bitcoin will not halt completely. Even when the internet shuts down in half part of the globe, there are offline alternatives such as mesh networks, satellites and even radio means of transmission which can broadcast and confirm transactions. These solutions may not be widespread, yet they serve as backup system to enable the network stay awake. Bitcoin creation gave it the ability to stay resilient, therefore whether disruption can delay it yet cannot stop it totally.

And if the Internet is shut down in the first place for a week, than it would be the least of the concern for the people / countries / businesses alike, imo.. However, I agree with you

[Antotena]

Would Bitcoin survive through offline solutions like mesh networks and satellites, or would it completely halt?

Bitcoin would likely still exist after this occurrence but it could only affect its value after the incident. It shouldn't be a debate if Bitcoin would survive this incident as it's not dependent on the Internet solely for its price manipulation or survival but a means for operation and networking which is also an important factor. But the world has gone beyond such situations as there would definitely be an alternative to an Internet source as it's need is highly valued. It's the world not a country so there would be measures to combat that definitely.

I have always heard 1 Bitcoin is 1 Bitcoin, if internet disappear one week, it's going to only affect the price because of the panic and fear but is it only Bitcoin that is going to be affected? Half of the world is going to be upside down because even stock ar going to crash really hard. People will be looking for a way to get power when internet is restored, I'm afraid we might even see war that time because we wouldn't be seeing information from some places.

I don't even pray to see this happen, it's not going to be about Bitcoin anymore, it's going to be about us and the world, things ar  going to be worse than covid 19 lockdown we had that time. That alone made the world to look like it's ending despite everything was going well, if the internet wasn't around that time I don't think many are going to survive to see what we are talking about today. I don't even pray to experience this kind of things we are taking about.

[Aanuoluwatofunmi]

Bitcoin does not use the internet to operate, instead it depend on the blockchain technology and this is massively a decentralized technology that we can use p2p network for transaction, we don't depend on the centralized server being controlled by the government with the use of satellites, bitcoin is a different approach entirely from this, if the internet got shutdown, our bitcoin will remain intact because they are stored on the blockchain.

[Localhostspeed]

Bitcoin does not use the internet to operate, instead it depend on the blockchain technology and this is massively a decentralized technology that we can use p2p network for transaction, we don't depend on the centralized server being controlled by the government with the use of satellites, bitcoin is a different approach entirely from this, if the internet got shutdown, our bitcoin will remain intact because they are stored on the blockchain.

If you say Bitcoin doesn't use the internet is like saying you have a car and you don't need fuel. Bitcoin lives on the Blockchain network and this network talk to each other through nodes and miners and this is achieved through the internet, the node need internet to talk to each other and send transactions from one node to another and then to miners. If the network doesn't have internet, then there is no way node and miners can communicate.

The internet is like fuel to many things on the internet even though they are decentralized network, they can't stand alone without the internet. You can't send any transaction across the Bitcoin network on your phone without the internet, you are going to be having problems. We need internet in this generation that we leave today.

[Woodie]

For as long as we have people that value Bitcoin, whether the internet went offline for a month or a year , it's value lies in its users... So basically speaking it's worth is in its users so whatever the duration the internet stays offline, I believe bitcoin would still exist as infrastructure remains intact and ready to serve it's user's.

Btw, we have technologies that allow the use of bitcoin without the need of the internet ...

[coupable]

Would Bitcoin survive through offline solutions like mesh networks and satellites, or would it completely halt?

What a fantastic narrative that has started to pupup suddenly after breacking the 100k $$ bitcoin price! I always insist to avoid overthinking about some imaginary scenarios, but when i see five pages replies i conclude that conspiracy theory is much more spreaded than what i was thinking about.
Why should anybody think that the internet may shut down all arround the globe suddenly without mention the reasons and how this could happen.

[Rgram]

Would Bitcoin survive through offline solutions like mesh networks and satellites, or would it completely halt?

I can’t say for these systems but, should they allow some sort of internet connection, Bitcoin would sure continue to persist otherwise, the end or halt of internet network would also be the end of Bitcoin which is certainly not going to happen. Bitcoin is a digital currency which exits on the blockchain and these depends on the internet for its functionality so, we would always need the internet.

Bitcoin however wouldn’t seize to exist, it just wouldn’t be accessible for a time, until the network comes back on.

Give Hollywood movies a break. The internet isn’t shutting down given the way all sectors depends on it.

[woez]

Would Bitcoin survive through offline solutions like mesh networks and satellites, or would it completely halt?

Could Bitcoin still exist if the internet went out worldwide for a week? I will answer, anything is possible in this world

I'd actually like it if that were the case. BTC experts and observers wouldn't just focus on the price, but would all think of quick solutions if it happened at any time, leading to the birth of alternative solutions. Another reason is that not only does BTC need the internet, but the modern world also relies heavily on it to run all its online activities. That's the real test.

Technically, it's true, and an internet outage would temporarily pause. Transactions couldn't be propagated to other nodes, miners couldn't sync, but the blockchain wouldn't be lost—it's already stored. Once the internet returns, all nodes will sync again.

[Gost ms]

Would Bitcoin survive through offline solutions like mesh networks and satellites, or would it completely halt?

Even if the network is down all over the world, the same situation will continue. As you mentioned, transactions can be made through mesh networks and satellite networks. For example, mesh networks are small devices that connect to each other and exchange information. If the net goes down in the world, the market may initially decline. Because there are many people who are not aware of this network. With time, when everyone knows about this network, it will become like before. Mesh networks and satellite networks are able to survive offline.

[krishnaverma]

Btw, we have technologies that allow the use of bitcoin without the need of the internet ...

Can you tell more about it ?

[GigaBit]

Internet is required for Bitcoin transactions. If there is no internet, then Bitcoin transactions will stop. But due to the shutdown of the internet, there will be no damage to the Bitcoin network. Where transactions are as they were, they will remain in a stable state. If the internet is active, Bitcoin transactions will be active. There is no way to see it different perspective. Bitcoin transactions are made through the internet, if there is no internet, there will be temporary difficulties. But the internet is not shut down everywhere in the world at the same time. That is why Bitcoin transactions will never stop.

[Danica22]

For as long as we have people that value Bitcoin, whether the internet went offline for a month or a year , it's value lies in its users... So basically speaking it's worth is in its users so whatever the duration the internet stays offline, I believe bitcoin would still exist as infrastructure remains intact and ready to serve it's user's.

Btw, we have technologies that allow the use of bitcoin without the need of the internet ...

But did you know that most users, miners participating in the market are for profit? This means that if bitcoin does not benefit them in the long run, there is no reason why they will continue to be loyal to it or love it. So if the internet goes down for a long time and affects their interests and lives, don't expect them to take bitcoin seriously.

There is no technology or way that allows us to use bitcoin without the internet because after all, bitcoin was created and depends on the internet. Solutions that help us use bitcoin without the internet are only temporary, our transactions will not be completed without being confirmed on the blockchain.

[Tamedbeast]

Would Bitcoin survive through offline solutions like mesh networks and satellites, or would it completely halt?

Yes bitcoin will still exists if the internet is shutdown worldwide for a week or more , because they stays where you put them, when the internet comes back your bitcoin will be waiting for you, but to be frank there is never a reason why the internet will go down world wide, a president or a leader is capable of controlling his own country, if he decide to shut down the internet it will happen only where he is leading, it is none of other countries business. There are similar questions like this on the forum, I don't know why people keep asking it over and over again, if for some reason your internet is shutdown you can get starlink or others like it that depends on the outspace satellite to work.

[Iranus]

Btw, we have technologies that allow the use of bitcoin without the need of the internet ...

Can you tell more about it ?

There are several ways to use bitcoin without internet like SMS transactions from CoinText service, or over Mesh or Lora network. Or you can use Blockstream Satellite which allows you to receive blockchain data via satellite without internet.

But in general all these methods are not popular and common because as we all know, the possibility of losing global internet connection for a long time is very low and we have never encountered this situation. The loss of global internet connectivity would cause catastrophic consequences, so governments will never allow that to happen. We don't need to know these methods either.