ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s telecommunications regulator on Saturday announced that 4G internet services have enabled in South Waziristan district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
In large swaths of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, particularly the parts that formed the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), including South Waziristan, which were long plagued by militancy, the government has regularly restricted access to the internet or blocked it completely for “security reasons.”
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority's (PTA) announcement comes as during his visit to region in late January, Prime Minister Imran Khan promised his government would operationalize high-speed internet service in the district. He said internet services were delayed in the area due to security concerns that online connectivity could benefit militant operations.
"Data Services of Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) were restored in South Waziristan after Prime Minister's visit on 20th January 2021,” PTA said on Saturday.
پریس ریلیز : 20 جنوری 2021 کو وزیر اعظم کے دورے کے بعد جنوبی وزیرستان میں موبائل فون آپریٹروں (سی ایم اوز) کی ڈیٹا سروسز بحال کردی گئیں۔
— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) February 20, 2021
The regulator added that it is following up with operators to provide internet access to more areas in the region.
Last April, thousands of students protested across the tribal belt, including South Waziristan, due to the lack of internet in the area after Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission directed universities to hold online classes amid coronavirus pandemic-related lockdowns in the country.