A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecom was held to discuss the Digital Media Bill 2025, aimed at preventing obscenity and indecent content on digital platforms.

The bill was presented by Member of the National Assembly Shahida Rehmani.

Federal Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima briefed the committee and said that children today receive information through social media and are exposed to all kinds of content. She stated that this issue is not limited to Pakistan but exists globally.

She said the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) is a newly established institution and currently faces some challenges. She added that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) remains in contact with social media companies to address these issues.

Shaza Fatima informed the committee that Google has started manufacturing Chromebooks in Pakistan and is also opening an office in the country. She said the need for business offices of large companies in different countries is decreasing.

Referring to the ban on X, the minister said allegations were made that it restricted freedom of expression, adding that even today, less than two percent of Pakistani users are on X. She said Meta and other companies visit Pakistan twice every year and that Meta, in collaboration with Pakistan, has established the country’s first complaint portal.

She emphasized that the absence of company offices does not mean global companies are not complying with local laws. She said part of the objective of Shahida Rehmani’s bill would be achieved through the Data Protection Bill, while some amendments would be included in the NCCIA framework. She added that it is also better for international companies to have a single platform for compliance.

Following the federal minister’s assurance, Shahida Rehmani withdrew the bill.

The committee chairman said the performance of the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency remains questionable.

A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecom was held under the chairmanship of Syed Aminul Haque, where members raised serious concerns over weak mobile signals and slow internet services across the country.

Committee member Sadiq Ali Memon expressed reservations over a report submitted by PTA regarding mobile signals and termed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) Quality of Service (QoS) survey report as “ridiculous.”

He said that whenever mobile signal issues are discussed in the committee, the federal minister becomes upset. He added that service problems exist on the ground, but reports presented claim everything is satisfactory. “When you are not ready to accept the problem, then everything becomes useless,” he remarked.

PTA’s QoS Survey Under Fire

Committee member Sharmila Farooqi questioned where and how PTA conducts its Quality of Service surveys. She demanded that these surveys be conducted through a third party and said it was difficult to understand how PTAs’ report shows 99% satisfaction.

Committee member Pauline questioned where the public should go if the PTA cannot ensure the provision of mobile signals.

PTA Defends Performance, Admits Mistakes

During the meeting, the PTA chairman stated that over the past year, the PTA ranked number one among government departments in complaint resolution. He said PTA has 12 zonal offices across the country and admitted that some mistakes have occurred.

He added that the Universal Service Fund (USF) works to improve network coverage in underdeveloped areas. The PTA chairman revealed that at one point, USF had funds amounting to Rs. 50 billion, which were later taken back by the government due to non-utilization.

Federal Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima said these funds were taken from USF in 2013 and started returning in 2022 under decisions made by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). She added that all funds taken from USF would be returned by 2026.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued its 5G Security Guidelines 2025 to ensure the secure deployment, operation, and management of 5G networks across the country.

The guidelines aim to protect national telecom infrastructure, critical services, and user data as next-generation networks continue to expand.

The framework is aligned with international standards, including 3GPP, GSMA, ITU, and NIST, to ensure Pakistan’s 5G networks meet globally recognized security benchmarks. PTA has stressed that 5G security is not just a technical requirement but a matter of national security and economic stability, given the technology’s integration with critical infrastructure and digital governance systems.

According to the guidelines, 5G’s cloud-native, virtualized, and service-based architecture significantly increases the cyber-attack surface compared to earlier network generations. To address this, PTA has introduced a Unified Authentication Framework that supports both mobile and non-mobile access, improving network security through centralized authentication.

To safeguard subscriber privacy, the guidelines mandate the use of Subscription Concealed Identifier (SUCI) to prevent IMSI catching and over-the-air tracking. Home Network-controlled authentication is required to reduce roaming fraud and block unauthorized or rogue network registrations. PTA has also mandated strict cryptographic standards such as TLS 1.3 and AES-128, while explicitly deprecating weak algorithms including MD5 and SHA-1.

The framework includes detailed measures for Network Slice Security, ensuring strict isolation between virtual network slices used by sectors such as IoT, industry, and public safety.

Service-Based Architecture (SBA) security is strengthened through API protection, OAuth 2.0 authorization, mutual TLS authentication, and the use of Service Communication Proxies (SCPs). For roaming security, the guidelines require the use of Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP) to prevent inter-operator spoofing attacks.

PTA has warned that end-user devices, IoT endpoints, and edge computing infrastructure pose major security risks due to weak patching practices, legacy hardware, and third-party hosting vulnerabilities. Core network functions are identified as particularly sensitive, as attacks could disrupt authentication, session management, and national-level communications.

Physical security risks at radio access network (RAN) sites and administrative risks, including insider threats and weak identity management, are also highlighted.

To mitigate these risks, the guidelines recommend adopting a Zero Trust Security Model, continuous verification of users and devices, and the deployment of Security Operations Centers (SOC), SIEM systems, and AI-based anomaly detection for real-time threat monitoring.

PTA has also emphasized the importance of post-quantum cryptography readiness, strong governance, regular compliance audits, and close coordination among operators, vendors, and regulators to build a secure and trusted 5G ecosystem in Pakistan.