Internet users across Pakistan are facing difficulties accessing various online platforms, but the government continues to deny that internet speeds are slow. However, some tools are completely rejecting the government’s denial.
Various online services like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are either not accessible or are working very slowly, causing frustration among users. Reports of issues with app usage have been coming from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and other parts of the country.
The problem of slow internet has been ongoing for several days, though the exact cause remains unclear. However, various reports suggest that the installation of firewall systems could be a possible reason.
Government’s Position on the Situation
The government maintains that the situation is under control. In a conversation with Geo News, Minister of State for IT Shiza Fatima stated that Pakistan’s broadband industry is functional, and the government has not shut down broadband services. She emphasized that data services are fully operational across the country, with all apps functioning correctly at 100%. Fatima also mentioned that mobile towers are insufficient in Pakistan, and efforts are being made to improve them.
She noted that Pakistan faces hundreds of cyberattacks daily, making cybersecurity a necessity. On digital platforms like YouTube and Facebook, the freedom of expression is upheld, and in matters of security, the Ministry of Interior provides instructions to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Online Tools Contradict Government Claims
On the other hand, online tools are contradicting the government’s claims. A report revealed that two real-time internet monitoring tools show that users are facing limited access to multiple social media apps or are unable to use them at all.
According to the Internet Outage Detection and Analysis tool, developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA, users experienced issues with internet services for hours, despite network stability at the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) level.
Despite the stable network, analyzing traffic on Google services revealed problems for internet users, as their traffic was significantly lower than usual. Issues with accessing Google services were also reported by DownDetector, which continuously received complaints from users regarding Gmail and YouTube. Problems with WhatsApp were also reported by DownDetector.
Economic Impact
Experts in IT are warning that the poor state of the internet in Pakistan is costing the national economy billions of rupees daily. According to IT experts, Pakistan’s telecommunications sector generally earns a profit of 3 billion rupees per day, with 60-70% of this profit linked to 3G and 4G networks. However, the internet issues are severely affecting not only the telecom sector but also various other industries.
