This graphic from Renesys says it all, but the net tracking firm also spelled it out: "Egyptian Internet providers returned to the Internet at 09:29:31 UTC (11:29am Cairo time). Websites such as the Egyptian Stock Exchange, Commercial International Bank of Egypt, MCDR, and the US Embassy in Cairo, are once again reachable."
And there are now reports that Twitter is once again ablaze with Tweets from the embattled country.
In a statement, Facebook spokesperson Andrew Noyes said that the company is "pleased that Internet service has been restored and the five million people who use Facebook in Egypt can continue using our service to connect, learn, and share."
This good news is emerging at the same time as some disturbing reports about violent clashes between pro and anti-government supporters in Tahrir Square. The New York Times reported that a "choreographed surge of thousands of people chanting support for the Egyptian leader, Hosni Mubarak, fought running battles with a larger number of antigovernment protesters in and around Cairo's Tahrir Square."
As I pointed out in an earlier post, the government's attempt to keep people from organizing, sharing information and reaching out to other countries was doomed to failure as people found numerous creative ways to get around the Internet blockade.