Imagine my surprise when stumbling upon a story regarding Armenia’s Internet connection to the outside world being cut off thanks to the antics of an unfortunate pensioner, who, while searching for copper to sell, accidentally cut through the fibre optic cables connecting Armenia with Georgia. I always thought my work was rather specialised so it is good to see such news making international headlines. The story does highlight the importance of international Internet connectivity but does not tell the whole story about how the situation has improved in Armenia and the effects this is having on the retail broadband market.