The government has shut down Internet and phone networks in the Sinai on multiple occasions since 2014, ostensibly as part of its conflict against the ongoing Islamist Sinai insurgency. These localized shutdowns are timed to coincide with military operations, although their counterinsurgency effectiveness is limited because of insurgents' widespread usage of workarounds such as walkie talkies and portable Broadband Global Area Network terminals. However, the shutdowns block emergency calls, preventing civilians from obtaining treatment for combat wounds and in several cases preventing women who went into labor from reaching the hospital.