ISLAMABAD: Amid fear of billions of losses on account of slowdown of internet services in the country, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) failed to satisfy the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications in giving any reason.
Senator Palwasha Muhammad Zai Khan chaired the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications held on Thursday, which highlighted the issue of recent internet disruptions across the country, causing real-time hindrances for individuals running e-commerce businesses.
Senator Afnanullah stated that the country is already facing an enormous economic crisis, and if the internet issue is not resolved, the country could eventually lose its $3 billion in IT sector exports.
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The members of the committee including Senator Afnanullah and Senator Humayun complained about the departure of several e-commerce platforms from Pakistan due to low internet speed.
Users are unable to upload or download media files on WhatsApp, Afnanullah Khan added. “You people have ruined the business activities,” Senator Humayun said to the PTA and IT ministry officials attending the meeting.
Aisha Humera, Additional Secretary IT said the issue of internet services is related to cellular networks and not on WiFi services, while the PTA official said they did not receive any complaint about the slow internet speed in the country.
She further explained that there is no issue with broadband connections; however, mobile operators using mobile data are facing disruptions. The PTA is assessing the issue, and the ministry will be in a better position to provide an overview once the assessment is completed in two weeks.
Additionally, the committee addressed the complaint of MNA Ali Jaan Mazari regarding poor internet service in Kashmore. Mazari stated that internet services have been crawling for the last four months, and despite several requests, no action has been taken so far.
PTA officials highlighted that there are around 156 sites of three major service providers in the area and that internet services are mostly down due to unannounced load shedding. However, the PTA is assessing the issue and will submit its report in the next 15 days. The committee also directed the PTA to submit its quarterly survey report at the next meeting.
Senator Afnanullah raised the matter of appointing a Secretary IT from the private sector. It has been rumored that the secretary will be appointed for a period of two years with a salary of around Rs2 million, he added.
Shaza Fatima Khawaja, State Minister for IT, stated that the proposal was moved forward by the Establishment Division and that the ministry will brief the committee on the matter in the upcoming week.
The committee deliberated on the bill titled, “The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023.” Senator Afnanullah, the bill’s mover, stated that the primary purpose of the bill is to protect the data of citizens because, as of now, there is no law in place for this purpose.
Officials of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications informed that the ministry has consulted with over 100 local and international stakeholders and is working on a final draft to address the grievances of stakeholders. The draft will be completed in the next 15 days. The committee, considering the importance of the bill for the country, recommended that the ministry complete the draft as soon as possible.
Furthermore, the committee was briefed by the Virtual University regarding its performance and operations. The Rector of Virtual University, Arshad Saleem Bhatti, informed that Virtual University was the country’s first university to start the flipped classroom model in 2002, aiming to benefit working students.
Virtual University is the only university that provides quality education at an affordable fee, charging only Rs150,000 for the entire BS programme and offering 400 courses for free. Additionally, the university generates a revenue of Rs7.25 billion from fees and services and bears no burden on the exchequer.
While discussing the issue of LDI/FLL licences, State Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications Khawaja stated that a dispute has been ongoing between the PTA and LDI licence holders regarding the determination of Access Promotion Contribution for the Universal Service Fund.
Thirty months before the expiry of their licence in 2024, the PTA issued notices to LDI licence holders that it would not renew their licences due to non-payment of arrears.
LDI licence holders have acquired a stay order from the Sindh High Court, stating that the PTA could not condition the renewal of licences on the payment of dues. She highlighted that the PTA has taken up the matter with the Attorney General for Pakistan and is looking forward to a possible resolution.
The second trial of a new national security firewall has been completed successfully, according to sources in the telecom sector. They said the firewall has been installed to address national security concerns, with a focus on blocking controversial content and curbing propaganda on social media platforms. Users across Pakistan are having difficulty accessing social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook, and internet service on mobile data also is slow.
Responding to media queries, Khawaja said that countries take measures to ensure cyber security. The minister said that the ministry has received complaints of internet slowdown and added that ideally, internet speed should not be slow.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024