No issues of internet slowdown in Pakistan, claims IT Minister

ISLAMABAD: State Minister for IT Shaza Fatima has rejected reports of slow internet speeds in Pakistan, stating that the issue was temporary and has been resolved, ARY News reported.

Addressing a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on IT and Telecom, Fatima stated that despite the country facing terrorism and losing over 100 young lives each month, the internet issue was not a major concern.

She acknowledged that unnecessary surveillance on citizens should be avoided but noted that surveillance is necessary in certain situations.

Fatima also highlighted Pakistan’s significant export earnings of Rs. 1.5 billion over the past month, questioning how this was possible if the internet was down.

The minister assured that the temporary internet issues have been resolved and announced plans to introduce satellite internet in Pakistan through Starlink.

Also read: The Real Story of Pakistan’s Internet Speed: Myths, Challenges, and Facts

The IT minister’s comments came after Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) chief revealed that Pakistan’s IT industry is facing an estimated daily loss of Rs 1.3 billion.

He made this statement during a Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunications meeting headed by Senator Palwasha Khan.

The chairman stated that the IT industry is growing at a rate of 30% per annum, but the losses are hindering its progress. He suggested that the government should register VPNs at the local level to mitigate these losses.

Internet speed report 

It is worth mentioning that Pakistan ranked 198th globally in internet speed rankings, according to a report by the World Population Review.

According to the report, Pakistan ranks below Palestine, Bhutan, Ghana, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and Libya in internet speed.

The average mobile internet download speed in Pakistan is 19.59 Mbps, while broadband internet averages 15.52 Mbps.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) leads globally in both mobile and broadband internet speed, followed by Singapore in mobile internet and Qatar in broadband speed.

Hong Kong and Chile rank third and fourth in mobile internet speed, respectively.

The report anticipates improvements in internet speed with advancements in technology.