ISLAMABAD: A technical analysis conducted by the digital rights group Bytes For All (B4A) has revealed that Pakistani internet users who accessed the web through virtual private networks (VPNs) last month experienced significantly better download speeds and minimal disruptions.
According to B4A’s recent report, a network health scan across various internet service providers (ISPs) in Pakistan showed “significant” performance differences between VPN and non-VPN connections.
“This improvement is evident in higher download speeds and lower retransmission rates, suggesting that VPNs may bypass ISP-imposed throttling or Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) measures,” the report stated. DPI is often cited as a reason for internet slowdowns.
Since internet disruptions began in July, users have been searching for the cause. After weeks of speculation, the Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, attributed the issue to the excessive use of VPNs by internet users during a press conference on August 18.
She denied any state involvement in the slowdown, claiming that broadband speeds were reduced because a large number of people had switched to VPNs to access certain apps
Shahzad Ahmad, head of B4A and one of the report’s authors, explained that the analysis was conducted on four major ISPs. The team used two open-source tools — M.Lab Network Diagnostic Tool (NDT) and Measurement Swiss Army Knife (MSAK) — to assess differences in download and upload speeds, latency, and retransmission rates on both fixed and mobile broadband, with and without VPNs.
Retransmission refers to the re-sending of data packets lost during transmission. A high retransmission rate indicates excessive network interference, such as inspection, throttling, or blocking. Similarly, high latency means a longer delay between a user’s action, like entering a website URL, and the result, such as the website loading.
“When there is excessive filtering or blocking, it impacts latency and reduces internet speed,” Mr. Ahmad explained.
VPN vs. Non-VPN Performance:
- Fixed Broadband: Without a VPN, the download speed was 20.42 megabytes per second (mbps) on NDT and 0.48 mbps on MSAK. With a VPN, speeds increased to 56.95 mbps and 27.31 mbps, respectively.
- Mobile Broadband: Without a VPN, download speeds were 1.94 mbps (NDT) and 0.33 mbps (MSAK). With a VPN, speeds improved to 8.98 mbps and 10.24 mbps, respectively.
“We wanted to investigate the [minister’s] claim that the internet slowed down due to VPN usage. However, when users bypassed local ISPs by connecting through VPNs, the disruptions were circumvented, leading to improved speeds,” Mr. Ahmad said.
The report also noted high latency on fixed broadband without a VPN — 203 milliseconds (NDT) and 196ms (MSAK) — which could indicate traffic inspection or routing issues, often associated with DPI or poorly configured firewalls. Ideally, latency should be between 20 to 40ms for a stable internet connection.
The B4A analysis concluded that the significant improvement in download speeds when using a VPN suggests ISP involvement in “traffic manipulation” or the presence of a DPI system.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
