Pakistan gaming community is seriously outraged, and rightly so. The Pakistan’s Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is evidently interfering into all communications which are facilitated by Voice Over IP Addresses, a widely used term for internet phone calls. The tech & gaming community of Pakistan have jumped on a wagon to raise their voice on Twitter, where the subject is trending.
According to the sources, the PTA have limited the transmission of data packets, which is obviously, being noticed by the gaming community during communications. PTA implemented Web Monitoring System (WMS), which apparently is overseeing all the data and communications happening in the country for malicious activity.
The categorization of “grey traffic” by the Pakistan’s Government regulator is flawed, as all traffic in form of data packets under VoIP & VPN are considered shady. The gaming community, which refers to the in-game communication system as their primary source, are infuriated by this move.
ISP’s Are Responding Vaguely
Twitter users in Pakistan managed to garner attention after their systematic protest on the social media platform was trending. Hashtags, #BanPTA, #BoycottPTA was trending for a few hours after it was picked up by Internet celebrity Waqar Zaka. Waqar hosted a show on his YouTube channel “Pakistan is troubled by esports? how?”
ALSO READ:
Top CSGO Players in Pakistan
Top CSGO Teams in Pakistan
We got in touch with a few of our counterparts in Pakistan and furiously so, the gaming community is in shambles because of the decision. PTA has been constantly suggesting that they’re doing no wrong, they’re simply blocking communications and access by simply citing they’re simply “PTA blocks the source IP.”
PTA responded after media coverage
After media coverage from across the region, including ours, which garnered thousands of traction, the PTA has responded on the questions raised by the gamers.
The government regulator denies any ban on the packet transmission. Instead, they suggest the problem doesn’t even exist. “All gaming apps are working normal across Pakistan,” the tweet concludes in response.
Furthermore, the telecommunication watchdog is encouraging users who are facing packet loss to lodge a formal complaint with their service providers. This contradicts with what several other local media outlets in Pakistan reported, which suggested that ISPs are being asked by the government to block the IPs for VoIPs.
The gaming community in Pakistan has been clocking impeccable numbers which is drawing investors, brands to create an ecosystem for esports. While, this could simply be a temporary rollout of the feature, this could well bring the gaming community there in a bad light.
