Free internet in Pakistan seems like a far-off ideal, if we may say so. We still restrict material availability and put up barriers to using the internet in our nation. The internet is still “not free” in Pakistan, as evidenced by the country’s 26/100 ranking in a report co-authored by editor Jahanzaib Haque and titled Pakistan’s Internet Landscape 2022.
According to the Speed Test Global Index report, Pakistan has some of the slowest download speeds for mobile internet worldwide. With a medium mobile download speed of 16.71 Mbps, Pakistan was placed 124th out of the 144 mentioned countries. In addition, the nation falls behind several other third-world nations, like Bangladesh (23.85 Mbps), Sri Lanka (21.09 Mbps), and many others.
Pakistani women continue to be denied access to the internet and mobile phones for an extended period of time. Pakistan has a gender disparity of 33% in mobile phone ownership and 38% in mobile internet use, according to the GSMA Mobile Gender Report 2022. The important thing to keep in mind is that women’s access to the internet and ownership of cell phones is still significantly hampered by their families’ disapproval.
“Connectivity load-shedding” was caused by Pakistan’s lack of power. Those who depended on cellphone and data services suffered as a result. Significant damages resulted from cellular companies’ inability to continue operations during power outages. Notably, in order to prevent terrorists from engaging in terrorist activity, Pakistani authorities employed antiquated strategies to gradually restrict or prohibit internet access.
- Minimal Advancement since 2022:
In comparison to many other nations, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India, Pakistan had faster mobile download speeds, according to a research from 2022. Over the past 1.5 years, there hasn’t been much to no improvement, though. Meanwhile, nations such as India have achieved impressive advancements, raising their median download speeds for mobile internet to 99.03 megabits per second. The download speeds of mobile devices have also significantly increased in other nearby countries, such as Bangladesh and India.
- What actions are necessary?
It is obvious that stakeholders and the Pakistani government need to work together to increase high-speed internet connectivity. Slow-moving nations run the risk of getting further left behind in the global digital economy as 5G technology spreads throughout the world. That being said, in order to stay up with the constantly changing demands of the digital world, Pakistan’s IT and telecom sector needs to step up its efforts to modernise internet infrastructure, optimise spectrum allocation, and promote innovation.