Pakistani IT professionals and industry leaders are urging the government to fast-track 5G deployment and resolve the ongoing problem of sluggish Internet speeds. The country’s IT sector has been significantly affected by Internet outages, with recent reports showing Pakistan suffered the highest global economic losses due to Internet disruptions in 2024—amounting to a staggering $1.62 billion. These disruptions, which totaled nearly 10,000 hours, impacted over 80 million people, mainly caused by political events like elections and protests.
The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) warned that the country’s tech industry could lose up to $150 million annually because of slow speeds and VPN restrictions. P@SHA’s Chairman, Sajjad Mustafa Syed, emphasized that Pakistan loses over a million dollars per hour due to Internet shutdowns. He stressed the need for urgent action, calling for the government to accelerate the 5G rollout and invest in fiber-optic infrastructure and new undersea cables to enhance connectivity.
While IT exports have been growing, with $3.2 billion reported in 2023-24, slow Internet remains a serious hurdle. The Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA) President, Tufail Ahmed Khan, noted that Internet slowdowns severely affect Pakistan’s 2.37 million freelancers, urging policies that support better connectivity.
In response, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has worked on temporary solutions and plans to enhance speeds with the 2Africa cable system. The government is also in talks with Starlink for satellite-based Internet services, signaling a concerted push to strengthen the digital economy.
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