Pakistan’s IT sector is under immense strain as slow Internet speeds and frequent disruptions cost the country $1.62 billion in 2024, the highest global economic loss from Internet outages, according to Top10VPN.com. A staggering 9,735 hours of disruptions affected over 82.9 million users, with political events cited as the primary cause.
The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) revealed that these challenges could lead to annual IT sector losses of $150 million, threatening the government’s $15 billion export target. P@SHA Chairman Sajjad Mustafa Syed emphasised the urgency of rolling out 5G, “Pakistan suffers a loss of more than one million dollars per hour on account of Internet shutdowns.”
Read more: Internet Outages Cost IT Industry $910K Per Hour: P@SHA
Freelancers, who represent over 2.37 million of the workforce, are also hit hard. PAFLA President Tufail Ahmed Khan highlighted the importance of Internet-friendly policies and praised the National Fiberisation Policy aimed at improving broadband. He stressed that better connectivity could boost remittances and reduce dependency on government jobs.
Efforts by the PTA to address disruptions include joining the 2Africa submarine cable system and exploring satellite Internet via Starlink. Industry leaders are calling for immediate action to safeguard Pakistan’s IT growth and improve its global reputation.
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