Pakistan's Internet Struggles: Now the Nation with the Slowest Speeds
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Islamabad, Dec 10 (NationPress) The sluggish internet speeds have morphed into a serious challenge for residents of Pakistan, notably for IT experts and business owners, as the country has been placed 141st out of 158 nations regarding the worst broadband speeds in October, based on recent data.
According to Ookla's Speedtest Global Index ratings, Pakistan is positioned at 100th out of 111 countries regarding mobile internet speeds and ranks 141st out of 158 countries in terms of slowest broadband speeds for October 2024.
The persistent slow internet and data connectivity issues have rendered it nearly impossible for users to send or receive messages, images, videos, or voice notes via social media platforms. Furthermore, IT professionals, businesses, digital marketers, content creators, remote workers, and students pursuing online education have been profoundly impacted by the ongoing disruptions.
“We have experienced client losses due to our inability to communicate, coordinate, and complete our tasks promptly because of the unreliable internet connectivity. I maintain two 100mb connections in my office along with an expensive backup, yet the inconsistent internet has harmed our work and clients, leading to the loss of significant business contracts,” remarked Khurram Ali, the owner of a software company in Karachi.
Experts in IT argue that the unreliable internet connections are negatively impacting the nation’s economy, particularly sectors like IT and telecom, which generate billions in daily profits and are directly affected.
Government-imposed restrictions, including the installation of a 'National Firewall' and the blocking of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), have severely impacted the internet users in the country.
A recent report from the World Population Review (WPR) disclosed that the average download speed for users in Pakistan is approximately 7.85 MBPS, with a median mobile broadband download speed of 15.52 MBPS and a median mobile download speed of 19.85 MBPS.
Despite the increasing public discontent, the government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, continues to focus on monitoring anti-state content on social media during the anti-government protests led by the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that recently rocked Islamabad.
The government asserts that it aims to curb fake news, disinformation, spurious propaganda, and incitement to violence disseminated through various social media platforms against Islamabad and the military establishment.
