Pakistan was ranked among the lowest 12 per cent globally for mobile and broadband internet speeds in October, data from Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index showed on Monday. The index placed Pakistan at 100 out of 111 countries in mobile internet speeds and 141 out of 158 countries in broadband speeds. For the last few months, users across the country have reported sluggish speeds, difficulty downloading media on WhatsApp, and intermittent connectivity issues.
Frequent internet disruptions were coupled with reports of restrictions on virtual private networks (VPNs), which many Pakistanis use to access various restricted websites. According to Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, Pakistan’s mean download speed was 7.85 Mbps, with the median mobile download speed at 19.59 Mbps and median broadband download speed at 15.52 Mbps. As of May 2023, Pakistan was identified as having one of the lowest internet speeds in the world, in a report on the digital landscape and human rights in the country.
After months of speculation about the installation of a so-called “firewall” that could be leading to internet disruptions, the country’s IT minister in August confirmed that the government was indeed upgrading its “web management system” to cope with cybersecurity threats.
Pakistan’s internet speed challenges
Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja stated that the issue had been “blown out of proportion” and emphasized that the government was upgrading its existing web-management system.
Rights groups have called on Pakistani authorities to provide greater transparency on the nationwide internet slowdown and the use of monitoring and surveillance technologies. They voiced concerns about the opacity surrounding the technologies that block content, slow down, and control internet speeds. Despite these claims, the government has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Khawaja reaffirmed, “There is nothing controversial about a country working on its cyber security,” and added that given Pakistan faces “millions of cyber attacks” daily, it is becoming increasingly difficult to detect terrorist activity. Last month, the interior ministry announced a ban on the unregulated use of VPNs, stating they are exploited by terrorists to “facilitate violent activities” and to “access pornographic and blasphemous content.” The ministry addressed a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) citing these reasons. The PTA has consistently restricted access to VPNs and urged citizens to register their VPNs by November 30, after which unregistered connections would be blocked.
Earlier in December, sources in the interior ministry mentioned there were legal interpretational issues with the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, which suggested that the courts would allow the functioning of VPNs despite the ministry’s stance.
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