By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: WhatsApp and Instagram users in Pakistan reported outages on Saturday, while interruptions in internet services provided by Zong and PTCL were also reported, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.
“Instagram users today reported a maximum of 86 outages in one hour, with WhatsApp users reporting problems since 10:45am, particularly with sending voice notes,” Downdetector said, adding that network providers Zong and PTCL have also reported outages since this morning.
The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has yet to comment on the reported outages.
Internet speeds have declined sharply in recent months, with speeds dropping to less than half of usual levels at times, affecting millions and disrupting businesses nationwide.
Internet users struggle to send or download media and voice notes on WhatsApp and experience slow browsing speeds even on broadband.
The slowdown follows a government crackdown on social media platforms in February ahead of the February 8 parliamentary election, which restricted access for many users.
The microblogging platform X has been blocked since the February polls due to “national security” concerns. However, the recent deterioration in internet speed has raised fresh concerns.
The Pakistan Software House Association, which represents the country’s information technology sector, blamed the government’s “hasty implementation of a national firewall” for the slow internet speeds.
The government has denied allegations that its efforts to monitor internet traffic, including a ‘firewall’, are causing the slowdown.
The telecom regulator attributed the disruption to a fault in two submarine cables, saying the issue would only be resolved in October. Pakistan has 110 million internet users, nearly half the country’s population.
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