ONI Country Profi le
341
journalists and media workers were killed in 2009, and at least seven in 2010, representing an increase from previous years.
6
Internet in Pakistan
Internet usage in 2009 was estimated to be at 20.4 million users, with an 11.3 percent
penetration rate.
7 Since implementing a deregulation and market liberalization policy
in 2003, Pakistan has seen considerable growth in its information and communication
technology (ICT) sector. The aggressive pursuit of deregulation and market liberalization has been aimed at boosting Pakistan ’ s economic modernization and creating an
industry for software exports. Fierce competition and demand for service have seen
Internet subscription charges drop. For example, DSL, which holds 64 percent of the
market for Internet service, saw subscription charges drop from USD 55 to USD 15 per
month by the end of 2008.
8 However, despite an increase in the implementation of
fi ber optic cables and wireless technologies, most of Pakistan relies on dial-up Internet
connections.
There are approximately 130 Internet service providers (ISPs) in Pakistan. Some of
the leading ISPs include Wateen, Paknet, Linkdotnet, Comsats, and Cybernet. In 2007,
Wateen Telecom, a subsidiary of Warid Telecom, introduced Worldwide Interoperability
for Microwave Access (WiMAX), a telecommunications technology that provides a
third-generation (3G) wireless alternative to cable and DSL. Pakistan is the fi rst country
in the world to implement such technology, which is designed to provide high-performance, high-speed Internet access over a larger area than other wireless technologies
that offer either greater coverage or greater bandwidth can provide.
9 Wateen was followed by Wi-Tribe, Mobilink Infi nity, and Qubee in providing WiMAX to customers.
Despite this state-of-the-art technology, WiMAX has about half as many subscribers
as DSL, and about twice as much as EVDO. Internet subscriptions continue to remain
low, with 3.7 million Internet subscriptions in 2009 at a 2 percent penetration rate.
10
Since 2006, DSL has remained the preferred form of broadband technology.
As of 2009, the largest Internet exchange point (IXP) in the country was the Pakistan Internet Exchange (PIE), a subsidiary of the Pakistan Telecommunication
Company, Ltd. (PTCL), largely owned by the Pakistani government. It was created by
the government in 2000 to provide a single core backbone for Pakistan by providing
peering points for ISPs. The Pakistan Internet Exchange has three main nodes — in
Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad — as well as 42 smaller nodes, and it operates two
submarine cables, the South East Asia – Middle East – Western Europe 3 (SEA-ME-WE 3)
and the South East Asia – Middle East – Western Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4).
The PTCL was the sole provider of bandwidth to the country until 2009, when an
agreement between the Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan and the
341
journalists and media workers were killed in 2009, and at least seven in 2010, representing an increase from previous years.
6
Internet in Pakistan
Internet usage in 2009 was estimated to be at 20.4 million users, with an 11.3 percent
penetration rate.
7 Since implementing a deregulation and market liberalization policy
in 2003, Pakistan has seen considerable growth in its information and communication
technology (ICT) sector. The aggressive pursuit of deregulation and market liberalization has been aimed at boosting Pakistan ’ s economic modernization and creating an
industry for software exports. Fierce competition and demand for service have seen
Internet subscription charges drop. For example, DSL, which holds 64 percent of the
market for Internet service, saw subscription charges drop from USD 55 to USD 15 per
month by the end of 2008.
8 However, despite an increase in the implementation of
fi ber optic cables and wireless technologies, most of Pakistan relies on dial-up Internet
connections.
There are approximately 130 Internet service providers (ISPs) in Pakistan. Some of
the leading ISPs include Wateen, Paknet, Linkdotnet, Comsats, and Cybernet. In 2007,
Wateen Telecom, a subsidiary of Warid Telecom, introduced Worldwide Interoperability
for Microwave Access (WiMAX), a telecommunications technology that provides a
third-generation (3G) wireless alternative to cable and DSL. Pakistan is the fi rst country
in the world to implement such technology, which is designed to provide high-performance, high-speed Internet access over a larger area than other wireless technologies
that offer either greater coverage or greater bandwidth can provide.
9 Wateen was followed by Wi-Tribe, Mobilink Infi nity, and Qubee in providing WiMAX to customers.
Despite this state-of-the-art technology, WiMAX has about half as many subscribers
as DSL, and about twice as much as EVDO. Internet subscriptions continue to remain
low, with 3.7 million Internet subscriptions in 2009 at a 2 percent penetration rate.
10
Since 2006, DSL has remained the preferred form of broadband technology.
As of 2009, the largest Internet exchange point (IXP) in the country was the Pakistan Internet Exchange (PIE), a subsidiary of the Pakistan Telecommunication
Company, Ltd. (PTCL), largely owned by the Pakistani government. It was created by
the government in 2000 to provide a single core backbone for Pakistan by providing
peering points for ISPs. The Pakistan Internet Exchange has three main nodes — in
Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad — as well as 42 smaller nodes, and it operates two
submarine cables, the South East Asia – Middle East – Western Europe 3 (SEA-ME-WE 3)
and the South East Asia – Middle East – Western Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4).
The PTCL was the sole provider of bandwidth to the country until 2009, when an
agreement between the Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan and the