The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced that the internet disruption due to a submarine cable fault will likely continue until early October. The IT sector and netizens have heavily criticized this disruption, linking the slowdown to testing a new internet firewall to regulate social media content.
Last week, PTA pinpointed the cause of the slowdown as faults in two of the seven international submarine cables that connect Pakistan to the global network. The authority has provided an update today, stating that repair of the SMW-4 cable should conclude by early October 2024. In contrast, repairs on the AAE-1 cable have already been completed, which may improve internet services.
Earlier this month, PTA Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Hafeezur Rehman confirmed that upgrades to the National Firewall System (NFS) are in progress. These upgrades aim to control social media content following government or judicial directives. This effort began with a project launched in March 2019 during the tenure of the then-PTI government. He also mentioned that the authority had banned the social media service X, formerly known as Twitter, for failing to comply with these directives.
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Despite the authority’s efforts to comply with executive and court orders to block certain content, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology has opposed measures that would slow the internet or ban social platforms, urging the Ministry of IT to assess the financial impact on the IT sector.
Criticism from entities like the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP) and the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) continues, with claims of significant economic losses for freelancers and IT professionals, estimated at $300 million due to the disruptions. WISPAP Chairman Shahzad Arshad expressed concerns over the survival of businesses reliant on stable internet.
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Conversely, State Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja attributed some connectivity issues to users’ use of virtual private networks (VPNs), denying any government role in blocking or slowing down the internet. During a press interaction last week, she affirmed, “I can swear that the government of Pakistan did not block the internet or slow it down. “
