Punjab shuts down free WiFi project
In January 2019, the project was suspended due to non-payment of dues to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). PHOTO: FILE
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has shut down free WiFi service in Punjab including in provincial capital Lahore after heavy annual losses, it emerged on Saturday.
The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) had been providing free internet service at public places for the last several years.
The project was started by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in 2017, providing the facility at over 200 WiFi hotspots in Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi. It covered public places, including railway and metro stations, airports, colleges and universities.
Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune on Saturday that the project was costing Rs195 million annually, causing a heavy dent to the provincial exchequer.
In January 2019, the project was suspended due to non-payment of dues to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). However, the service was restored later following public backlash. The closure of the project was affecting a large number of students as well as many other common citizens of the province.
Meanwhile, free Wi-Fi facility for journalists in Lahore Press Club has also been suspended.
PITB officials said that the project was scrapped last year and now the board, in collaboration with the Punjab government, was considering various proposals to provide sustainable WiFi facility to the citizens.