Tech Desk 
Jan 09, 2025
In a move which stunned internet users in the country, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday made a claim attributing massive financial losses to excessive virtual private network (VPN) usage during enforced internet cuts.
When internet users activate VPNs, it prompts a spike in data usage at the cost of more foreign exchange (@$1 per MB), Business Recorder cited the telecom authority as stating. It also highlighted that a 1Tbps rise in data usage would cost around $10,000 per minute.
The development comes on the heels of Pakistan bracing for the landing of additional undersea internet cables as well as the rollout of 5G technology to address the internet crisis that has been intact for months.
While linking the national exchequer's huge financial losses to the overuse of VPNs, the report issued by the telecom regulatory authority highlighted bandwidth usage in August 2024 surged to an unprecedented 634Gbps, whereas it registered a gradual descent to 378Gbps in November 2024.
The report claimed that internet services across Pakistan improved significantly by December, causing VPN usage to drop to 437 Gbps.
While specifying the delivery of 70% of internet in the country through Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), the PTA said high use of VPNs triggered disruptions in internet infrastructure, causing users to bypass local CDNs.
