Tech Desk
Aug 21, 2024
A supposedly unidentified internet outage in Pakistan has been ongoing for a long time, irritating many users and raising serious concerns and questions for the Pakistan government.
The constant and overlong outages have affected not only individuals but also businesses that depend on online services in the country.
During the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT and Telecom, committee members demanded an explanation from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Retd. Major General Hafeezur Rehman about the internet outage which has long gripped the digital realm of the country.
"Minister of State of Information Technology (IT), Shaza Fatima Khawaja, has provided reasons for internet outage in a press conference. The Submarine Consortium informed that the internet is affected by the fault in the submarine cable" the PTA chairman replied.
The committee also demanded a comprehensive reason behind social media and internet disruptions while inquiring about the weak mobile network signals.
Initial reports indicated that the issue had something to do with accessing blocked content in the country using VPNs.
Along with the Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque, committee members also sought an explanation as to whether the firewall had been implemented or not.
The PTA chairman remarked that the firewall is designed to regulate internet traffic and will be equipped with deep packet inspection (DPI) technology, which allows data monitoring.
The firewall will allow the Pakistani government to filter social media content, identify and block propaganda, and limit access to prohibited material. ISPs will need to install the firewall, with the government covering some of the associated costs.
The PTA chairman claimed that out of seven fibre optic cables that come to Pakistan, one is damaged. "We have until August 27 to fix the damaged cable, and it will be repaired by then," he remarked.
