Here’s why internet is facing disruption in Pakistan

Aminul Haque says internet issues stem from cable fault and firewall management, but relief expected post August 27

Listen to article

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Information Technology, Aminul Haque, stated that internet speed issues are partly due to a firewall or web management systems.

In an interview, Haque said the slowdown was first caused by a submarine cable fault. He noted that web management systems have further contributed to the delays.

He highlighted that the telecom sector has incurred a loss of around Rs300 million due to slow internet. The impact on freelancers and call centres is still being assessed, he added.

He said that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) could have mitigated the issue if it had provided earlier warnings. However, he expressed hope that internet speeds would improve by August 27.

A day earlier, the country's telecom regulator finally admitted to installing a National Firewall System (NFS) to manage social media content but insists that recent internet service disruptions are due to a fault in the submarine cable.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (retired) Hafeez Ur Rehman appeared before the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT and Telecom on Wednesday amid rising concerns over persistent internet disruptions in Pakistan.