Internet users across Pakistan continue to experience disruptions as slow speed and frequent outages persist, frustrating millions of subscribers nationwide.
Assurances from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information Technology (IT) have proved to be hollow claims, as the situation shows little improvement. Moreover, mobile internet services are still not fully restored in many parts of the country.
According to telecom industry sources, users have reported widespread issues with data uploading and downloading since yesterday. The problems are not limited to mobile users; broadband customers are also facing challenges with 3G and 4G services.
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The PTA had previously set several deadlines to resolve the internet issues, but none of these deadlines have resulted in a final resolution. The repeated failures to address these disruptions have led to growing scepticism about the PTA's ability to manage the country's digital infrastructure effectively.
A few days ago, Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja has addressed the Senate about the ongoing issues in Pakistan's telecom sector, including a fault in a submarine cable and challenges with internet speed. “There is still a fault in one of the submarine cables, which will be fixed by the end of October,” she had claimed.
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She assured the Senate that efforts were underway to resolve the issue and restore full connectivity. Khawaja also addressed the slow internet speed across Pakistan, attributing the problem to multiple factors, including the economic situation and delays in the import of telecom equipment.
"LCs are closed, leading to project delays, particularly in the installation of new mobile sites," she added. Despite these challenges, 11 new mobile sites had been installed in Abbottabad this year, bringing the total to 432, she said.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) was also conducting regular quality of service surveys to address public concerns about internet performance. However, Khawaja acknowledged that the speed of internet services in Pakistan remained below international standards due to limited investment in the telecom sector.
