Clarifies that no firewalls are being installed


Islamabad: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday claimed that “faulty submarine cable” was causing slow internet across the country, clarifying that no firewalls were being installed.
"Submarine Consortium has informed [us] that the internet [services] are affected due to a fault in the submarine cable which will be resolved by August 27," PTA Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeezur Rehman said while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT.
Seven fibre optic cables were connected with Pakistan of which one was damaged, he further informed the committee.
Internet speeds have witnessed a visible decline over the past few weeks, and users are facing difficulties in sending or downloading media and voice notes through WhatsApp when connected to mobile data, and experiencing slow browsing speeds, even on broadband.
Slow internet in the last few days sparked harsh criticism by lawmakers and the public.
The business community and internet service providers (ISPs) had alleged that the government’s efforts to monitor internet traffic — including a so-called ‘firewall’ — had caused the slowdown of digital services, resulting in economic losses.

Kashmir Martyrs’ Day: A historic reminder of struggle and sacrifice
- 5 hours ago

Sindh police give 10-day deadline to personnel to quit gutka, mawa use
- 3 hours ago

Wildlife force deployed as no-bird zones enforced near Lahore airport
- 4 hours ago
Rawalpindi to Multan bus meets accident; 5 in critical condition
- 5 hours ago

Yanks' Rodon replaces Fried on AL All-Star team
- 13 hours ago
WWE icon Goldberg bids farewell after 27-year wrestling career
- 5 hours ago
WhatsApp introduces new feature to show how many people are typing in group chats
- 2 hours ago
Iran confirms assassination attempt on President Pezeshkian amid Israeli airstrikes
- 4 hours ago

High risk near rivers as Tarbela spillways open today
- 4 hours ago
Kim Jong-un offers full support to Russia in Ukraine war
- an hour ago
PTI launches 90-day ‘do or die’ movement across Pakistan
- 5 hours ago

Emergency vaccination reduced deaths by nearly 60% during epidemics, study finds
- 2 hours ago