technology
Pakistanis will have to face internet blackout for another week.
(Dunya News) – Regulatory authority Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has revealed the cause of internet slowdown and intermittent outages.
PTA Chairman, Retired Major General Hafeezur Rehman, said the slowdown in internet speeds was due to damage to undersea cables.
He explained the firewall installation and denied the rumors, saying, “There is no firewall installed.”
They also revealed that it was not the firewall that was being upgraded, but the government’s web management system.
“In my opinion, the internet should not be slowed down by upgrading,” he said. “The telecom sector has suffered a loss of Rs 300 crore.”
Pakistan has seven fibre optic cables to provide internet, but one of them has malfunctioned, causing problems with internet connectivity. A single cable transmits 7.5 terabytes of data to Pakistan.
The PTA chairman said the cable outage only affected Pakistan and not other countries.
The PTA president maintained that authorities only took down social media site X on the recommendation of the federal government, and not because of internet disruptions.
Pakistanis will have to face internet blackout for another week.
Also read: Installing a firewall can disrupt your internet and social media connections
VPN overuse disrupts the internet
Minister of State for Information Technology and Communications Shaza Fatima maintained that there were no internet shutdowns or slowdowns in the country.
She believes the slowdown in internet speeds is due to the increased use of virtual private networks (VPNs).
The effects of chaos
Users across Pakistan are experiencing problems accessing social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook, and internet service over mobile data is slow.
The internet is down, your connection is limited and slow, and you can’t download or share files or data.
Freelancers have also expressed concern that they are unable to complete and deliver projects on their respective websites, receiving negative feedback from clients and tarnishing the image of Pakistani freelancers.
The popular freelancing platform is said to have had several accounts in Pakistan unavailable due to a recent internet outage.
Court rules against internet shutdown
Cases against internet and social media disruption have been filed in the Lahore High Court, Islamabad High Court and Peshawar High Court.
The PHC has issued notices to the PTA and the Union Secretary for IT regarding their applications for slowing down internet speed across the country.
Related news: LHC seeks answers from federal government and PTA over nationwide internet outage
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