Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the minister of state for information technology and telecommunication, announced on Thursday that the government had ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and other pertinent organizations to submit a report after residents of several Pakistani cities complained they were having trouble connecting to the internet. Her remarks were made one day after the business community and internet service providers claimed that a major nationwide service slowdown caused by the government’s increased attempts to regulate internet traffic had resulted in losses.
According to the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (Wispap), internet speeds have dropped by 30 to 40% in the last few weeks. The organization also issued a warning, stating that the situation had gotten so bad that many companies were thinking about moving their operations abroad. Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Khawaja stated that the PTA and other pertinent organizations had been asked by the government to provide a report on the internet outage.
She stated, “We have requested information from the pertinent authorities, including PTA, regarding the impact on data traffic over the last two weeks.” “There should never be a slow internet speed; we even discussed introducing 5G technology to Pakistan.” Without a sure, discussions regarding faster [internet] speeds are in progress. The minister went on to say that the government’s installation of a firewall had been exaggerated and that improving internet security was a common practice worldwide.
She stated, “The government used to run a web-management system that is currently being upgraded.” “With the frequent cyberattacks this nation faces, the government has the right to [take such measures].” Since last week, major internet platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp have been severely impacted by users’ reports of slowdowns and difficulties accessing messaging and social media apps.
Some users have theorized that the government erected a firewall to monitor and keep an eye on people, which is why there were problems. Rejecting the idea that a firewall was the source of the problem, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reported that it had not yet received any complaints about internet outages.
