Pakistan's Internet Slowdown Crisis: Faulty Cable Or Firewall? Is India To Be Blamed?

Pakistan is currently grappling with a significant slowdown in internet speeds, causing widespread frustration among users and sparking allegations of the installation of a national firewall.

Over the past few weeks, users across the country have reported difficulties in sending and downloading media files and voice notes through messaging apps like WhatsApp, even when connected to broadband networks, as reported by Hindustan Times.

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Pakistan's Internet Slowdown Crisis

The slowdown has also adversely affected businesses that rely on stable internet connections for communication with international clients and for managing operations. The Pakistan Software House Association, representing the IT sector, has warned that these internet issues could cost the fragile economy up to $300 million. The association also raised concerns that the government might be hastily implementing a national firewall, potentially causing these slowdowns claim that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has strongly denied.

PTA Blames Faulty Submarine Cable

On Wednesday, the PTA attributed the internet slowdown to a damaged submarine cable. During a meeting with the National Assembly's Standing Committee on IT, PTA Chairman Retired Major General Hafeezur Rehman stated that the slowdown was primarily due to damage to one of the submarine cables, specifically the SMW4, as reported by Hindustan Times. He assured the committee that the cable was expected to be repaired by August 28, after which normal internet speeds should resume.

Regarding the allegations of a firewall installation, Rehman clarified that the government was only upgrading its web management system to bolster cybersecurity, not throttling the internet as some had speculated. However, this explanation did not fully satisfy some members of the committee, who demanded more transparency.

Lahore High Court Seeks Detailed Explanation

In response to the ongoing internet issues, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has demanded a more detailed and clause-wise explanation from the federal government. The PTA had submitted a report outlining four primary reasons for the significant drop in internet speeds, but the court found the explanations unsatisfactory and requested a more comprehensive response.

Among the issues cited in the report was a major misconfiguration by a leading internet service provider (ISP) on July 31, which led to a 70% drop in internet services nationwide. The PTA took stern action against the ISP. Additionally, the increased use of virtual private networks (VPNs) was mentioned as a contributing factor to the slowdown, as VPNs naturally cause slower internet speeds due to their encryption and extended data routing, as per media reports.

Allegations Against India

The PTA report also mentioned a severe degradation of around 1.5 Tbps in internet traffic on August 15, attributing it to alleged activities by Indian state actors. The report claimed that these actors had been active in the past few years, particularly on national days, to degrade internet services or deface government websites. India has yet to respond to these unsubstantiated claims.