ISLAMABAD: The country’s IT minister said on Tuesday that the internet issues being faced by users were “complicated” and blamed infrastructure constraints, as well as a lack of investment, for the disruptions.

Over the past few months, users in the country have been facing slow internet speeds and frequent disconnections. The government has provided multiple reasons for the internet slowdown, including the updating of a ‘web management system’ and faults in the undersea cable connecting Pakistan to the rest of the world.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Minister of State for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said internet disruptions were a “complicated matter”, and people blamed the ‘firewall’ or ‘web management system’ due to “limited information”.

In addition, she said, the available internet spectrum is not sufficient to meet the country’s demands, which leads to regular internet choking. However, she hoped the rollout of 5G internet would resolve the issue.

Hopes things will improve with rollout of 5G internet

The spectrum refers to radio frequencies that allow wireless signals to travel. These signals enable users to make calls and use the internet on mobile devices.

Earlier this month, the Pakistan Tele­comm­unication Authority had initiated the process of auctioning 5G spectrum bands and received five proposals from international consultants to oversee the auction.

“There is a demand and supply gap in the country,” Ms Khawaja said, while candidly acknowledging that there were some other “structural and political” reasons as well, which were causing internet disruptions.

“Pakistan’s entire internet infrastructure is operating on just 274 MHz, and legal challenges have delayed expansion.”

The internet service providers have “suffered financially” in the recent past due to the high energy cost as it was not viable to operate telecom towers on generators during power outages, the minister explained.

The upgradation of internet infrastructure has also been impacted by the restrictions on Letters of Credit — a prerequisite for import — in recent years.

She added that these were the reasons why the IT ministry suggested free spectrum for telcos, but the finance ministry wanted to generate revenue through auction.

When asked about the installation of a firewall and whether it would infringe on the rights of users, the minister said it was mandated by the “serious threat” of cyber security. “As for the freedom of speech, all kinds of political content is being uploaded in Pakistan daily, and there is no restriction on it.”

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2024