‘Technical Glitch’ Causes VPN Service Disruption in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: According to industry sources, a “system issue” disrupted internet users’ access to virtual private networks (VPNs) across Pakistan on Sunday

Over the weekend, many users faced difficulties connecting to VPNs on both fixed broadband and mobile data. The PTA has not commented on the issue, and no response was provided to inquiries on Sunday.

When Pakistan’s government blocked the social media site X in February, more people started using VPNs. Because of the months-long outage earlier this year, many users had no choice but to resort to proxy networks in order to avoid using their local infrastructure.

The Pakistan Telecommuni­cation Authority (PTA) has blocked several VPNs, according to unverified social media claims. But the government has said the outage was “brief” and due to a “glitch” in the system.

According to a source in the industry, internet users across Pakistan experienced a short outage in VPN access on Sunday, which lasted between 30 minutes to an hour. The outage was caused by a technical error. The problem was verified by the online monitoring tool Downdetector, which showed that VPN Unlimited and TunnelBear users had connectivity troubles, with most reports coming in the early evening.

Registered VPN services used by enterprises were also affected by the disruption. This was especially true for those businesses that had already followed the telecom regulator’s order and registered their IP addresses and VPNs with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to guarantee smooth service even when networks experienced problems.

A recent statement by the PTA highlighted their dedication to registering VPNs and IP addresses in order to provide constant access for businesses. They acknowledged the importance of a smooth internet for IT operations. It has been alleged that the PTA has registered more than 20,000 VPNs and IP addresses since 2020.

Some people are worried about the impact of uneven access on daily routines and corporate operations. Activists said that limiting VPNs could affect industries that depend on stable connections, like technology and banking. They also said that authorities weren’t being clear about these measures.