KABUL (SW) – Many Afghan citizens are voicing frustration over the high costs and poor quality of internet services in the country.
They say that internet quality in Afghanistan is far inferior compared to neighboring countries.
Aziz Ahmad, a resident of Herat, describes the quality of internet in Afghanistan to be inferior. He explained that he only uses the internet once or twice a month to check in with family and friends living in neighboring countries. However, due to slow speeds and poor quality, he struggles to maintain communication.
He adds: “Internet in Afghanistan is very expensive. I only activate it once or twice a month out of necessity to stay in touch with friends and family in Iran, but the speed is so low that I need to be at a high spot or close to a communication tower. When I was in Iran, internet was much cheaper. 10 GB cost around 40 Afghanis there, but here it costs about 600 to 700 Afghanis. Neither the authorities nor the network providers address these issues.”
Similarly, Ghulam Yahya from Nangarhar says, “The internet has very slow speeds, and even when I activate packages of 10 GB or more, the weak connection makes it unusable.”
Ramziya Joya from Shighnan district in Badakhshan, faces similar issues. She explained that due to the poor speed of the internet, people are forced to use Tajikistani SIM cards, which offer much better speeds.
Ramziya adds, “We face significant problems with internet connectivity. In Shighnan district, Afghan SIM cards are useless for internet, so we have to use Tajikistani SIM cards, even though their use is restricted, and they are expensive. Nevertheless, we have no choice.”
Residents of Kabul also report similar challenges. Despite being the capital, Kabul has insufficient internet services, they said.
Ahmad Sediq Popalzai, a Kabul resident, commented: “Internet speed is slow, prices are high, and quality is poor. Many websites are blocked in Afghanistan. When we activate a VPN, it doesn’t help. We urge the government to address both the price and quality of the internet because in other countries, there are lower prices with much better quality.”
However, Jalaluddin Shams, spokesperson for the Afghanistan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ATRA), acknowledges the poor quality of internet but says that technical teams are working across provinces to improve network quality.
He explains: “People complain about internet quality, but there have been recent improvements. The price of 1 GB of internet has dropped to 110 Afghanis, down from 200 to 300 Afghanis previously. Our technical teams are working across all provinces to monitor and improve network quality. Moreover, increased competition in the market is driving companies to further lower internet prices.”
Despite these efforts, citizens in some provinces still lack access to reliable internet services, particularly in remote districts where connectivity issues persist.
