• Internet speed in Pakistan is not up to world standards: IT minister.
• Says effort underway to complete auction in first week of Feb 2026.
• Pakistan ranked 97th, 146th for mobile and broadband speed.

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee has approved auction of 600 MHz spectrum which would not only improve the internet speed but also pave way for the roll out of 5G internet in the country, Information Technology and Telecommunication (IT) Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Tuesday. 

Addressing a joint presser along with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, the IT minister said the federal government was eyeing completing the internet spectrum auction by early 2026 after the ECC’s nod.

Expanding on the matter, IT Minister Khawaja said that spectrum advisory committee’s recommendations will be taken to the cabinet soon and that consultation with other relevant parties, including the telecom sector, will be ensured during the process.

“Due to a lack of spectrum, internet speed in Pakistan is not up to world standards,” the minister noted, adding that the government is going to hold an auction of 600 MHz spectrum.

Shaza further said that efforts were underway to roll out 5G in six months.

Highlighting that the internet formed the basis of the entire digital system, she said that the government will increase both the speed as well as internet access and that efforts were being made to complete the auction in the first week of February 2026.

The spectrum auction announcement comes as slow internet speed, coupled with intermittent outages and restricted access on various occasions, are not uncommon for the netizens in the country.

As per Ookla Speedtest Global Index, Pakistan ranked 97th globally with regards to mobile internet speed which was measured at 24.79Mbps in November. The statistics were much worse for fixed broadband speed where the country ranked 146 with download speed of mere 18.27Mbps.

However, last month, the country significantly expanded its international internet capacity with the launch of the South-East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe (SEA-ME-WE) 6 submarine cable system.

The 19,200-kilometre high-capacity fibre network connects the country to major digital hubs between Singapore and France.

The system, offering over 100 terabits per second (Tbps) of total capacity, provides one of the lowest-latency routes between Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe.

Under the deployment, Pakistan had been allocated 13.2 Tbps, of which 4 Tbps has been activated immediately — a major boost that will support cloud computing, data centres, fintech, e-commerce, streaming platforms and the broader digital economy.

The new SEA-ME-WE 6 network features more fibre pairs and more than double the capacity of earlier SEA-ME-WE systems, ensuring greater resilience across high-traffic Asia-Europe routes.

Following a recent attack at Bondi Beach, Australia, which killed 15 people, two videos began circulating on social media. One claimed that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blamed Pakistan for the attack and announced a visa ban on Pakistani nationals. Another purported to show Pakistanis celebrating the incident.

Both claims are false.

Claim

A six-second video shared on December 15 shows Australian PM Albanese announcing the arrest of a “Pakistani-origin terrorist” linked to the Bondi Beach attack and suspending all visas for Pakistani nationals.

Fact

This claim is false. The video’s audio has been manipulated using Artificial Intelligence. The original footage is from a press conference on August 3, 2022, three year before the Bondi Beach attack. In the 15-minute press briefing, Albanese speaks about climate change, not the attack.

The presser can be seen here

Additionally, Hiya, a deepfake detection tool, rated the online video’s audio 1 out of 100, indicating it is a deepfake. No credible Australian media outlet has reported any such announcement by the PM.

Claim

A 20-second video circulating online allegedly shows Pakistanis celebrating the Bondi Beach attack.

Fact

This claim is false. The video predates the Bondi Beach attack and has been online since 2023. It was shared by several social media users in 2023 which can be seen here and here.

Verdict: Both videos circulating online are misleading and falsely linked to the Bondi Beach attack.

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Titanic filmmaker Steven Spielberg refused to work with Ben Affleck on a film project as per Hollywood screenwriter and director Mike Binder.

Binder opened up on his recent appearance on One Bad Movie podcast about the tension between the Batman star and Spielberg.

The 67-year-old revealed the man behind Titanic had initially been interested in directing his 2006 satire Man About Town.

The film was intended to be a DreamWorks production.

But Spielberg reportedly backed out after Binder suggested Affleck for the lead role.

Binder recalled, “Steven says, ‘No. Can’t do it with him. We just bombed a movie with him, he’s got that whole J.Lo thing going on now, and I have other problems with him.'”

The Reign Over Me director mentioned professional concerns and a personal dispute dating back to a family pool party.

According to Binder, Spielberg referenced an incident in which Affleck allegedly threw Spielberg’s young son back into a pool after being pushed in himself which left the child in tears.

Spielberg reportedly told Binder he did not want to work with Affleck whom he described as “cold.”

Binder said Affleck knew the reason behind Spielberg’s refusal.

“Ben calls me up, he says, ‘Did Steven Spielberg tell you I threw his kid in the water? Is that why I’m not on your movie?’” Binder recounted.

Despite Spielberg’s withdrawal, Affleck went on to star in Man About Town, which was released in 2007 by Sunlight Productions.

The tension appeared to ease years later.

At the 2013 Academy Awards, Affleck’s Argo won Best Picture beating Spielberg’s Lincoln.

The two men were seen embracing on stage.

Binder joked to Affleck afterward, “Tonight you could throw Spielberg’s whole family in the pool and get away with it.”

Binder described both Spielberg and Affleck as ‘great guys’ but admitted that egos and misunderstandings played a role.

“Steven Spielberg is a genius and a great guy, but he can be an a**hole. And Ben Affleck is a great guy, and he can be a bigger a**hole,” he said.