Islamabad, 18 August 2024 (TDI): State Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja claimed on Sunday that slow internet speed in the country was due to excessive use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
She made these remarks while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.
Fatima said the government had neither shut down the internet nor slowed it down.
“The notion that the government is controlling the internet is absolutely baseless and completely false. In reality, excessive use of VPNs to bypass Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and connect directly to live servers puts the burden on those servers, which can slow down the internet,” she added.
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Shaza Fatima claimed only a few applications were blocked in the country, due to which a large number of people started using VPNs.
“This put a strain on CDNs resulting in slower speeds for a short period” she explained.
She said the government was constantly in touch with the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and telecom companies to resolve the problem.
The minister clarified that the government did not slow down the internet while refuting the opposition’s claim that it was done to curb the dissent.
The minister said she will meet the PTA officials next week to discuss the matter, adding that the government will devise a plan to prevent future issues for people in the country.
