VPNs will not be blocked, only registered

In response to recent media reports suggesting that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) plans to block Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in the country, the PTA has issued a clarification.

The authority confirmed that VPNs are not being blocked; however, it is urging IT companies, software houses, freelancers, banks, and other entities to register their IP addresses for VPN usage.

While PTA does not explain why, it claims the registration will ensure that internet services for these organizations remain uninterrupted in the event of any disruptions.

According to PTA, the VPN registration process is a streamlined "one-window operation" available on the PTA and Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) websites, requiring only two to three days to complete and is free of charge.

Since early August, the PTA had been developing a strategy to VPNS in the country by allowing some proxy networks and restricting access to others.

During a meeting of the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat on August 01 2024, PTA Chairman Major General (retd.) Hafeezur Rehman announced that once the policy is enforced, only whitelisted VPNs will be permitted in Pakistan, while all others will be blocked.

Constant internet disruptions

Users in Pakistan have been experiencing internet disruptions since mid-July. Internet speeds dropped by 30-40% in August 2024, costing IT companies hundreds of millions of dollars.

In its latest statement, the federal government gave September 24, 2024 as the new date for internet disruptions and slow speeds to be resolved in Pakistan. It had earlier stated that the internet would be fixed in October.

The Minister of State for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima in a statement on 18 August 2024 had attributed slow internet speeds to the use of VPNs. Following this, Chairman PTA Major General (retd) Hafeezur Rahman said internet connectivity has been affected by a fault in one of seven submarine cables linking Pakistani to the internet.

Speaking for the first time to a meeting of the National Assembly's standing committee on information technology, he said the cable will be fixed by August 27. He also said the slowdown domestically is due to VPNs, or virtual private networks.

In total, the submarine internet cable connecting Pakistan has experienced nine major failures between 2021 to 2024.

Pakistan's leading software association and civil society organizations have said the internet disruptions and slowdowns are due to the Pakistani government's efforts to install a firewall, amid concerns for silencing dissent and the impact on the digital economy.