Chain retailers are reporting outages online

LAHORE:

Owners and operators of retail chains have expressed concern over the recent internet outages, mainly affecting mobile internet and WhatsApp, saying it will have a major impact on export and domestic trade activities across the country.

In a statement, Pakistan Chains Association President Tariq Mehboob, along with co-founder and National E-Commerce Council member Asfandyar Farrukh, highlighted the far-reaching impact of the outage on internet services and sought a permanent solution to the problem.

Pakistani businesses already face multiple challenges, including high taxes, rising electricity costs and growing liquidity shortages. Amidst these difficulties, inconsistent and unreliable Internet services create additional barriers, reducing revenue streams and affecting service quality.

“Internet outages not only affect large-scale businesses but also people running small businesses, who rely on stable internet connections to sustain their livelihoods,” Mehboob observed.

“When the internet slows down, businesses experience major disruptions in their day-to-day operations. Basic functions such as communication, order processing, inventory management and customer service are hindered.

He pointed out that small businesses were particularly vulnerable as they often depended solely on mobile internet and WhatsApp to attract and serve customers.

“Although the situation appears to have improved after several days of outages, repeated outages may lead to lower reliability and loss of customers,” he warned.

Echoing similar concerns, Association co-founder Asfandyar Farrukh highlighted the economic impact of frequent internet outages.

“It has been reported that there has been much greater use of VPNs by individuals and businesses resulting in internet slowdowns. However, VPNs will not be needed if local outages on WhatsApp and other digital services are addressed in the first place,” he clarified.

Recurring Internet slowdowns cause significant financial losses in both the IT and e-commerce sectors. With over $3.2 billion in annual IT and freelance exports and a $5 billion domestic e-commerce ecosystem at stake, he described the situation as critical. Freelancers, remote workers, transportation services and delivery riders who rely on fixed mobile internet connections have been hit particularly hard, dealing with missed deadlines, service delays and lost income.