Pakistan ranked among slowest for internet speed

LAHORE:As internet woes continue to hamper digital activities, Pakistan has landed in the bottom 12% globally for both mobile and broadband internet speeds, as reported by Ookla's Speedtest Global Index.

The index ranked the country 100th out of 111 countries in mobile internet speeds and 141st out of 158 countries in broadband speeds as of October.

For the past several months, users across the nation have been facing slow connections, including difficulty downloading media on WhatsApp and frequent connectivity issues.

The disruptions have raised concerns, particularly as Pakistan continues to experience interruptions to internet access and reports of restricted virtual private network (VPN) usage.

VPNs, which many Pakistanis rely on to access blocked websites such as X (formerly Twitter), have become increasingly restricted.

According to the World Population Review, which uses Ookla's Speedtest Global Index and Cable data, Pakistan's average download speed stands at 7.85 MBPS.

The median mobile download speed is 19.59 MBPS, and the median broadband download speed is 15.52 MBPS. As of May 2023, the country was ranked among the slowest internet speeds globally, according to reports on Pakistan's digital landscape and human rights situation.

Earlier, in August, the government confirmed that it was upgrading its "web management system" to address growing cybersecurity threats.

Meanwhile, despite government assurances, human rights groups like Amnesty International have raised alarms, urging Pakistani authorities to provide more transparency about the nationwide internet slowdown and the use of monitoring and surveillance technologies.

Amnesty called the lack of clarity on the government's use of these technologies "an alarming concern," particularly as it could result in content being blocked, slowed down, or otherwise restricted.

Adding to the ongoing internet woes, the Ministry of Interior has pushed for a ban on the unregulated use of VPNs, citing concerns that terrorists have been using VPNs to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions.

The ministry's stance is that VPNs have been "exploited" for illicit purposes, including accessing "pornographic and blasphemous content," leading to a crackdown on unregistered VPN usage.

In a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the ministry urged action, prompting the PTA to announce a deadline for VPN registration by November 30, after which unregistered connections will be blocked.

While the PTA has denied restricting access to VPNs and attributed disruptions to a "technical glitch," the ongoing measures have further strained internet access and raised questions about transparency and censorship.