In a bid to facilitate the IT sector, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has allowed freelancers to register their virtual private network (VPN) using mobile numbers.
“To facilitate the legitimate, secure and uninterrupted operations of VPN by freelancers who don’t have static IP addresses, the facility to register VPN against mobile number has been introduced by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA),” read a statement released by PTA on Saturday.
“The step is aimed to further simplify the VPN registration process for facilitation of the IT industry,” the authority said, adding that over 31,000 VPNs have been registered by PTA.
According to the authority, freelancers can register their mobile number with PTA for “usage of VPNs on mobile data connection at https://ipregistration.pta.gov.pk”.
Freelancers would need to provide their details including computerised national identity card (CNIC), company registration details and taxpayer status to register their VPNs.
A few days ago, the government decided not to ban VPNs, as the law ministry said the government did not have the legal authority to impose such a ban under the Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.
Earlier, PTA warned its users to register their VPNs by Nov 30, after which unregistered connections would be blocked.
The interior ministry had earlier requested a ban, citing concerns about the use of VPNs by terrorists and access to pornographic content. However, the law ministry clarified that PECA allows the blocking of specific online content.
Pakistan has a record of curbing online access in response to political turmoil, banning social media sites or simply temporarily shutting down the internet altogether.
Days ago, Sajjad Mustafa Syed, chairman of Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), said that Pakistan’s information technology sector suffers losses of more than $1 million per hour due to internet shutdown in the country.
“To achieve the government’s envisaged target of $15 billion, IT exports are linked with market access, infrastructure stability, accommodative taxation policy as well as skilled human resources,” said P@SHA chairman. Syed said that 99% of firms/ companies reported that their services were disrupted and 90% reported losses.