Slow internet causes 70% decline in freelancers' work

Frequent internet outages threaten a wave of unemployment as Pakistani freelancers are facing difficulties securing work due to poor network connectivity.

Freelancers metioned a 70% decline in foreign and local freelance work due to restricted cyberspace, putting hundreds of thousands of Pakistani freelancers at risk of significantly reduced income or unemployment.

Several freelancers said that they have been facing issues meeting assignment deadlines due to slow internet speeds. Many freelancers' profiles have been closed due to late submission of assignments.

AS per sources, the continuous slowdown in internet speed is severely impacting all sectors of the country, including freelancing.

Digital marketing experts expressed fears of losing their clients due to the uncertain connectivity, saying their freelance clients hailing from India and Bangladesh would shift to another country if stable connections and access to the global village were not provided.

Earlier, the Minister of State for Information Technology, Shaza Fatima announced efforts to bring Elon Musk's satellite company, Starlink, to Pakistan.

The statement was made during a meeting of the Senate's Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan.

The committee discussed various concerns related to the IT sector, including internet speed issues and the regulation of VPN services.