ISLAMABAD (The Thursday Times) — Pakistan ranks first in the world for YouTube viewing, with 96 million users watching 560 million videos a day, the head of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told a National Assembly committee this week, as lawmakers complained that the networks carrying all of it keep getting worse.
PTA Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeezur Rehman gave the figures to the Standing Committee on IT and Telecom. Accounts of the meeting did not say how the ranking was measured.
He said TikTok has 100 million users in Pakistan and WhatsApp another 100 million, with Pakistanis making one billion calls and sending 12 billion messages on WhatsApp every day.
IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said social media and artificial intelligence had sharply increased data use. She said 1.8 million people now use 5G, which is being introduced in 24 cities, and that theft was one cause of service disruptions, with entire towers, diesel and generators being stolen.
Committee members were not impressed. Ahmed Ateeq said networks were not working from his constituency to Karachi, and that talks had gone on for two and a half years with no solution. Aasia Ishaq said 4G stopped working properly after 5G was launched, and asked whether members should go to the Supreme Court. Another member said WhatsApp calls were dropping even in Islamabad. “Every meeting ends and the network gets even worse,” one member said.
The PTA chairman said his staff had carried out inspections in 41 districts. He said show-cause notices were a last resort, that companies obtain court injunctions against fines, and that power outages were a major obstacle.
Khawaja called the frustration valid but said services were gradually improving, adding that even the United States lacks coverage on its motorways and highways. Committee chairman Syed Amin ul Haq said there should be no compromise on quality and ordered telecom companies to improve their services immediately.
