PTA chairman says over 30,000 VPNs registered in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Technology and Telecommunication chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan Thursday met to discuss the challenges and impacts on Pakistan’s IT sector.

The meeting was attended by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman, IT secretary and chairman Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA).

At the outset of the session, Sajjad Syed, chairman P@SHA revealed Pakistan’s IT sector is incurring a daily loss of Rs1.3 billion.

Mr. Sajjad said Pakistan’s IT industry is growing at a rate of 30% annually, but further disruptions could hamper progress.

During the meeting of the Senate body, IT secretary stated that internet disruptions occur for national security reasons, but the committee stressed the need to balance security with uninterrupted connectivity.

On Virtual Private Networks, PTA chairman said 30,974 VPNs have been registered so far, with licenses set to be issued by January 2025.

Senator Kamran Murtaza questioned whether PTA had challenged directives affecting the internet sector, while Senator Afnaan Ullah highlighted issues with spectrum management and its non-correlation with slow internet speeds.

The committee urged PTA and the Ministry of IT to ensure that VPN registration and regulatory measures do not hinder Pakistan’s IT growth trajectory.

Back on 19 Nov 2024, PTA announced a ‘simplified’ VPN registration process for freelancers and organisations.

Now, software houses, call centres, banks, embassies, and freelancers can easily register their VPNs via PTA’s official website.

Members of the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) can also benefit from this facility, according to a press statement issued by the PTA.