Pakistan ranks near bottom in mobile internet and broadband speeds. It scores at 100 out of 111 countries in mobile internet speed and 141 out of 158 countries for broadband speeds based on data from Ookla’s Speedtest Global index. Across the country, the citizens are complaining over the connectivity issues from the past few months. In 2023, similar kind of reports highlighted the Pakistan’s lowest ranking for internet speeds in the world.
The data from Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index indicates mean download speed 7.85 MBPS along the median broadband download speed of 15.52 MBPS in Pakistan. People faced frequent disruption in access to virtual private networks (VPN), mainly used to access X.
Under the cover of installation of ‘firewall’, these disruptions have become the common episode. “The government has been operating a web-management system. The system is now being upgraded,” Minister Shaza Fatima clarified. The international organizations also called on authorities to provide transparency over the matter. She further said, “There is nothing controversial about a country working on its cyber security.”
Moreover, VPN remains under ban over the allegations of politically misusage, terrorist and violent activities. The minister says that the terrorists are exploiting VPNs increasingly to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan. PTA advised citizens to register VPNs by Nov 30 after which authority will block unregistered connections.
Meanwhile, businesses that rely on the internet connectivity have regretted on losing hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue. They blamed government’s imposition of a ‘national firewall’ and prolonged internet disconnections. Usama Khilji, digital activist, “We are seeing a loss of civilian control over basic IT and digital infrastructure, only made worse by lack of transparency.” The local people who are facing economic loss called this internet outrages and slow speeds “It’s almost like a creeping coup.”
