No end to internet outages, issues with communication apps

KARACHI: Pakistani authorities keep hobbling the internet. Its latest stunt of monitoring social media platforms is proving to be damaging for millions of people who are now reliant on digital services and IT-based communication tools, say experts.

Since November 23, most internet users have been reporting intermittent internet outages with social media applications affected most.

On Tuesday, WhatsApp users once again reported disruptions in voice and messaging services, as highlighted by Downdetector, a platform that monitors service outages in real time, which only flags incidents when the number of reports exceeds the usual volume for that time period.

The most reported issues included voice-related problems, accounting for 35 per cent of user complaints, followed closely by issues with sending messages and app functionality, both contributing 33 per cent each to the total reported problems.

Users of popular photo-sharing app Instagram also reported significant disruptions, with the most common issues affecting the app and feed functionality. According to data from Downdetector, 66 per cent of users reported problems with the Instagram app itself, while 19 per cent faced difficulties with the feed, and 15 per cent encountered other issues.

In both cases, disruptions were reported from across the country, with urban cities, Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, hit hardest.

Not only do internet disruptions impact IT businesses, but they also affect every sector of the economy, said Waqas Naeem, visual and digital media consultant and director marketing at Media Clicks, a digital marketing agency.

Industries like telemedicine and remote education, which have become increasingly vital, especially post-pandemic, face significant challenges during internet outages, disrupting access to critical healthcare and learning resources, he added.

“The government needs to take these issues seriously and implement coherent measures to prevent such disruptions. The economic and social losses are too great to ignore, especially when they directly impact the lives of everyday citizens,” Naeem said adding that “reliable internet is not a luxury -- it is a necessity for progress”.

“The scale and impact of these interruptions are unparalleled,” said Shahzad Arshad, chairperson of the Wireless & Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (Wispap), adding that while “they were intended to address security risks, they have significantly disrupted digital communications and economic activity.”

Popular platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok are heavily affected, leaving millions without basic communication tools. Despite security concerns driving these measures, the collateral damage to Pakistan’s digitally reliant society is immense, Arshad expressed.

CEO of The SquarePeg, a digital marketing agency, Zunaira Omar shared with The News that two of “our international clients churned in the past two weeks due to us being unable to even post on social media during the peak holiday season”.

She added: “the irony of running a digital marketing agency without access to social media and internet won’t be lost on many. With zero ease of doing business and no sign of things getting any better, I am seriously evaluating what options I have left to move my business outside of Pakistan.”

According to Geo.tv, Chairperson of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) Sajjad Syed has said that the issue of internet speed is likely to be resolved within three months.

In a statement, the P@SHA chairperson mentioned that if messages are being sent on WhatsApp, but images are not, it is possible that ‘monitoring’ is ongoing.

Per Arshad, Wispap has been actively engaging with regulatory authorities to restore services and push for a more balanced approach that prioritises both security and connectivity.

“The internet is the backbone of our modern economy, and any disruption harms national productivity,” he added.

He stressed the need for a more resilient, decentralised digital infrastructure to prevent future disruptions, advocating for a collaborative strategy between the government and the private sector.

“Today, small and medium businesses heavily depend on online banking, communication tools, and mobile or desktop applications for their daily operations. The internet has become so essential that it should be treated as a basic necessity, much like electricity or water,” Naeem further explained.

He added that when the internet goes down, the consequences are far-reaching. “Transactions fail, productivity halts, and businesses lose millions -- sometimes even billions of rupees.”

According to Naeem, these disruptions also have a ripple effect on e-commerce platforms, which depend entirely on seamless internet access to process orders, manage deliveries and provide customer support. For consumers, this means delays, errors and a loss of trust in online services.

The P@SHA chairperson, in its statement, further clarified that there is no issue with fixed-line internet. Full-time IT workers do not face problems, but part-time IT workers are affected due to the lack of fixed-line connections.

He added that monitoring or firewall installation is a common practice in every country, though there might be shortcomings in the procedure here. In the US, for instance, security personnel can arrive at a residence within 10 minutes if inappropriate content is shared.

The Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) has dismissed claims that IT companies are leaving Pakistan due to internet speed issues.