New Delhi: Pakistan is currently experiencing a slowdown in internet speeds, causing widespread frustration among users and sparking allegations of the installation of a national firewall. The situation has raised concerns within the countrys IT sector, with the Pakistan Software House Association warning that the ongoing issues could cost the fragile economy up to $300 million.The association expressed fears that the government might be hastily implementing a national firewall, potentially causing these slowdowns. However, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has firmly denied these claims.PTA attributes slowdown to submarine cable damageOn Wednesday, the PTA pointed to a damaged submarine cable as the primary reason for the internet slowdown. During a meeting with the National Assemblys Standing Committee on IT, PTA Chairman Retired Major General Hafeezur Rehman explained that the slowdown was mainly due to damage to the SMW4 submarine cable, as reported by Dawn.com.Rehman assured the committee that repair work on the cable was expected to be completed by August 28, after which normal internet speeds should resume. He also addressed the allegations regarding the installation of a firewall, stating that the government was merely upgrading its web management system to enhance cybersecurity, not intentionally throttling internet speeds.Across Pakistan, internet speeds have ground to a crawl in recent days, stoking uproar and fueling claims that the government is secretly testing a new firewall-like system to better surveil and control the countrys internet. The slowdown has affected millions of users and… pic.twitter.com/az1DaKmGUg— PTI Canada Official (@PTIOfficialCA) August 21, 2024You have been asked a direct question, pressed PPP Senator Sharmila Farooqi during the meeting. Has a firewall been installed or not Rehman reiterated that the PTA had no role in the slowdown, attributing it solely to technical issues. He emphasized that every country, including Afghanistan, has its own system in place for web management.India also blamed for internet issuesMeanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has demanded a more detailed explanation from the federal government regarding the ongoing internet slowdown in Pakistan. This demand followed the submission of a report by the PTA, which outlined four primary reasons for the significant drop in internet speeds across the country. The court found the explanations provided to be unsatisfactory and requested a more comprehensive response in the next session.In addition to the submarine cable damage, the PTA report cited a major misconfiguration by a leading internet service provider (ISP) on July 31, which resulted in a 70% drop in internet services nationwide. The PTA has taken stern action against the ISP in question.The report also mentioned that the increased use of virtual private networks (VPNs) has contributed to the slowdown, as VPNs tend to reduce internet speeds due to encryption, tunneling, and extended data routing.
