The parliament recently had a debate on the speed available to internet users, with some speakers from the opposition expressing genuine concerns on slow speed internet in Pakistan. To clarify the issue further, Sabin Ghori who is the Parliamentary Secretary for IT Division. The Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa chaired a session on the challenges Pakistan was facing regarding internet connectivity.
Ghori stressed that the mid-2025 would witness an anticipated increase in the speed of the internet with the rollout of 5G services. There were several factors discussed, which had in continuation led to the slow internet speeds; issues with video downloads were raised by PPP’s Agha Rafiullah, while Shagufta Jumani quipped about a recent comment made by Bhutto regarding a ‘fish eating Pakistan’s cable’. To this, Ghori jokingly responded that a fish is indeed causing disruption to the internet cables, though it is difficult to ascertain which species it is.
Other committees also reiterated the long-awaited entry of Elon Musk’s Starlink, the provider of satellite internet services, into the Pakistani market. The Parliamentary Secretary said that Starlink should launch its services in Pakistan by June 2025, having managed to clear regulatory hurdles. Aminul Haq, the head of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology, alleged that the licensing process for Starlink was slow and should have been sped up.
