Islamabad, 16 August 2024 (TDI): Amid an outcry from internet users and digital rights activists over the disruption of digital platforms and slow internet speed, authorities have completed second trial run of its much-debated firewall.
The firewall was installed on internet service providers possessing deep packet inspection capability, in view of national security concerns, a local news channel reported.
The mobile signals and internet services slowed down due to the installation of a new firewall aimed at blocking unwanted content.
All social media services would return to normal speed in two to three days after the conclusion of the trial period of firewall.
The first trial run was said to be carried out last month which resulted in the slowing down of social media platforms.
The federal government had allocated over Rs30 billion in the development budget for the acquisition and installation of the filtering system.
The amount was allocated to the Ministry of Information Technology.
Also Read More: Internet Outage Hits Pakistan As Government Raises Control
The adverse impacts after installing the firewall system drew criticism from citizens and digital rights organisations who expressed fear about the future of internet-based businesses in the country.
As internet users in Pakistan continue to reel under prevailing access and speed problems, the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan has said that it was a very discouraging situation for their customers. Many are leaving the smaller ISPs as they cannot sustain the poor service quality anymore. If this continues, the country will wtness a mass exodus of businesses.
In a statement on Thursday, WISPAP Chairman Shahzad Arshad said that internet speeds witnessed around 30 percent to 40 percent reduction which has had a devastating effect on businesses and individuals who depend on reliable internet connectivity.
