Article: Major General (Retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman, Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) or PTA in short recently sat with journalists to discuss key issues related to the internet and telecom of the country.
Internet Speed and Upgrades:
In response to complaints regarding slow internet services, the PTA chairman said that speed problems, which have been troubling the internet lately, would be sorted before the end of October. PTA is actually upgrading its Web Management System, popularly known as internet firewall, and increasing data capacity from 5 terabytes to 8 terabytes. According to sources, this was the cause of recent internet shutdowns, but after completion, they should still improve to very decent levels.
Internet Shutdowns and National Security
Major General Rehman said that Pakistan had shut the internet only seven times in 2023, whereas for India, the figure was alarming at 116. He said though closure of the internet could never be the first choice for the nation, national security came first. He emphasized that mobile services had been suspended in particular areas and only for a short time in the recent 10th of Muharram when public safety was maintained. Once again the honorable general pointed out that Bangladesh too had also undertaken such measures at sensitive times such as election times.
Spectrum and Infrastructure Development
Pakistan has a population of 242 million and currently operates on a congested spectrum capacity of 274 MHz. The chairman admitted the need for improving infrastructure and offered to take examples from the investment India made into fiber optic networks that relate to 3.5 million kilometers. He expressed hope that with 5G, better infrastructure would ease congestion and improve the country’s ability to communicate.
Social Media and Platform Compliance
He further told the house that the government also moved to ban social media platform X (formerly Twitter) for not following its compliance requirements. The chairman highlighted complaints about X, where a complaince rate of only 27% has been recorded as opposed to 93% on other platforms. PTA has sent the case to Sindh High Court and is waiting for further directions to open up the platform once again. Social media companies are being called upon to do more in making use of AI technology in blocking illegal content.
