Slow internet: ‘We should be praising ourselves for our destruction’
There is an Urdu proverb that a wise man learns from his mistake while a fool repeats his mistake again and again.
But there are some people who never learn their lesson, just like the people in power in Pakistan, who are destructive regardless of the consequences.
To satisfy your curiosity, we are talking about repeated experiments with the Internet by the Pakistani government. Their obsession with tinkering with the Internet began a decade ago, but now those in power are hell-bent on repeating the same mistakes, only this time the lapses are bigger and more serious. Now whether it is willful blindness, ignorance or the same old incompetence, they know better.
We all know that the authorities (or those who follow their orders) have been trying to influence the Internet for over a year until the worst day came. Recently everyone faced it in their homes, offices or while traveling. The move affected both Wi-Fi and mobile internet.
For more than a decade, Big Brother has banned access to a long list of websites. But now they have started adding social media to this list as well.
X became the first victim of this series, which was obviously an easy target because there people not only dare to express their opinion but also raise their voice. Imagine how terrifying this is for the government.
After that, WhatsApp came under attack, during which users are facing various obstacles such as delay in sending and receiving files while users are not able to send voice notes or photos through mobile data.
Let’s not talk about complex reforms like ‘digital rights’ for a while because they are already neglected in our country, so focus on the numbers.
Over the years, Pakistan has made great strides in accelerating internet access. Broadband penetration has crossed 57.05% in FY2024 as compared to 32.55% in FY2019. However, out of 13.83 million connections, more than 97% of users access the Internet through mobile.
Mobile phone users are the first and most affected by connection problems, while most government initiatives target mobile phone users. Now take the example of a bike rider or any laborer who is illiterate, he does his work through voice notes and WhatsApp is the best platform for him.
The good thing is that the authorities have realized that this situation is not good. Last week, the Senate Standing Committee on Ministry of Information Technology heard the matter and sought answers from two regulatory authorities, the Telecom Authority and the Ministry of Technology. The slowdown is reportedly because the government has tested firewalls or upgraded the ‘web management system’.
Obviously, these are normal measures taken for the cyber security of the country. Even if we accept Antamiya’s explanation, these problems are still a year old, meaning it’s time that someone has to talk to the technology partners and do themselves an irreparable harm. Appreciation should also be given for delivery.
Certainly, such actions have dire consequences. For example, our telecom sector is already suffering from problems where one multinational has already withdrawn from the market while others are struggling to improve on average profit per user. Data and similar services have to earn dollars to their sponsors overseas.
Not surprisingly, limiting or blocking mobile data has had an impact on telecom companies. In the financial year 2023, an average of 1.51 billion rupees was being received from mobile data on a daily basis. One can only estimate the loss that telecom companies have to bear when the authorities tamper with the internet.
According to Cloudfair, download speed in Pakistan is just 22.3 Mbps which is lower than Nigeria (26 Mbps), Indonesia (31.5 Mbps) and Philippines (97.4 Mbps). In such an environment, telecom authorities need to invest more to upgrade their technology and infrastructure. But obviously, after the 35% tax collected by the government, they don’t have enough resources, while the government slows down and shuts down the internet to further harm them.
It is already difficult to get excited about the ‘Pakistan brand’. From the Premier Overseas Investors Chambers of Commerce and Industry to the Software House Association, several industry bodies are warning of dire consequences. Certainly some of these warnings have been overblown, but the lack of confidence in the industry is too obvious to ignore.
We have been aware for decades that there is no point in relying on governments for our needs. Electricity? Take a generator or UPS. water? Contact the Tanker Mafia. Education? Empty your pockets and send your kids to private schools. Health? Embrace death. But overall, a large number of people recognize that in the private republic of Pakistan, they can get what they want by paying money.
However, no matter how much you pay, it will not be enough to get reliable good internet access.
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