Protecting Consumers.

This year's Consumer Conference saw the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) adjust the broadband regulations in favour of the average broadband user. By raising the minimum internet speed to 4MBps up from 256KBps, the regulator has essentially made it mandatory for broadband providers to give users access to the new minimum speed. Beyond this, PTA also went a step further and made it mandatory for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide at least 80 percent of the promised speed at all times.

256KBps was not really sufficient as a minimum speed to be provided through broadband internet for today's data-heavy requirements on most modern websites and internet use cases, so this is a step in the right direction. The decision to ensure ISPs provide a minimum of 80 percent of the promised speed is also important, given that this gives the additional responsibility of maintaining the resilience of the network at all times. Even part-government PTCL struggles with this throughout the country. However, PTA's change in rules does not mean that ISPs can upgrade their infrastructure instantly; time will be required for consumers to be...