Pakistan Faces Huge Economic Losses Due to Internet Disruptions, Calls for 5G Rollout
Pakistan Faces Huge Economic Losses Due to Internet Disruptions
In Islamabad, Pakistan's IT associations and industry experts are urging the government to speed up the rollout of 5G services. The country is experiencing significant economic losses due to slow Internet speeds and disruptions. A report by Top10VPN.com revealed that Pakistan faced the highest economic losses globally from Internet outages in 2024, totaling USD 1.62 billion, surpassing even conflict-hit nations like Sudan and Myanmar.
Pakistan experienced 9,735 hours of Internet disruptions, affecting 82.9 million users, primarily due to political events such as elections and protests. The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) warned of potential annual financial losses of up to USD 150 million due to slow Internet speeds and VPN restrictions. P@SHA Chairman Sajjad Mustafa Syed emphasized the need for urgent action, including accelerating the 5G rollout and improving connectivity through new undersea cables.
Despite positive growth in Pakistan's IT industry, with exports reaching USD 3.2 billion in the 2023-24 fiscal year, frequent disruptions threaten the government's target of USD 15 billion in IT exports. Pakistan Freelancers Association President Tufail Ahmed Khan highlighted the impact on freelancers and called for more Internet-friendly policies to boost foreign remittances.
Former P@SHA chairman Zohaib Khan expressed concerns over the long-term impact on Pakistan's international reputation. The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) is working to address disruptions caused by a fault in the Asia-Africa-Europe-1 submarine cable and plans to join the 2Africa submarine cable system to enhance Internet speeds and connectivity.
Doubts Revealed
5G Rollout
5G is the fifth generation of mobile network technology. It is much faster than the previous generations and can help improve internet speed and connectivity.
Internet Disruptions
Internet disruptions mean that the internet is not working properly or is very slow. This can happen due to technical problems or other issues like political events.
USD 1.62 billion
USD 1.62 billion is a lot of money, about 13,000 crore rupees. It represents the economic losses Pakistan is facing due to internet problems.
P@SHA
P@SHA stands for Pakistan Software Houses Association. It is a group that represents the IT industry in Pakistan and helps promote technology businesses.
VPN Restrictions
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It helps people use the internet more securely. Restrictions mean that using VPNs is being limited or controlled.
PTA
PTA stands for Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. It is the organization that manages and regulates telecommunication services in Pakistan.
Undersea Cables
Undersea cables are long wires under the ocean that carry internet data between countries. They are important for fast and reliable internet connections.
2Africa System
The 2Africa system is a big project to lay new undersea cables around Africa. It will help improve internet connectivity for countries that join it.
Export Targets
Export targets are goals set by a country to sell goods and services to other countries. Meeting these targets is important for a country's economy.
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