{"id":30418,"date":"2026-07-27T08:19:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/?p=30418"},"modified":"2026-07-27T08:28:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:28:35","slug":"high-internet-costs-a-challenge-for-youth-in-online-education-and-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/2026\/07\/high-internet-costs-a-challenge-for-youth-in-online-education-and-work\/","title":{"rendered":"High internet costs; a challenge for youth in online education and work"},"content":{"rendered":"

The high cost of internet packages and low-quality service have become major challenges for youth in Kabul. They say that expensive internet packages not only disrupt their online education but also limit their employment opportunities and ability to earn an income in the digital space.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Experts say that access to affordable, high-quality internet is essential for expanding online education and creating employment opportunities for youth. The youth are calling for lower internet prices and improved service quality.<\/p>\n

Khadija, a resident of Kabul’s District 4 and a computer science student at an online university, says the high cost of internet packages has limited her participation in online classes.<\/p>\n

“Because of the high cost of internet, I have had to limit my participation in online classes. I also cannot download many of the educational materials, videos, and books recommended by my instructors because doing so requires a large amount of data. Even within a single month, I often have to activate internet packages several times,” she says.<\/p>\n

Poor internet service; a barrier to online education and work<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to high costs, poor internet quality and slow internet speeds have become other major problems for students attending online classes.<\/p>\n

Gulalai Ghaffari, a journalism student, says poor internet quality caused her to miss an important online educational event.<\/p>\n

“Because of internet problems, I missed an important online session and seminar. During my presentation, the internet connection repeatedly disconnected, and I was unable to complete my presentation properly. This was very upsetting because I had prepared for it with great enthusiasm and was well prepared,” she says.<\/p>\n

The impact of poor internet service is not limited to education. Some youth working in the online sector say that poor-quality internet service has also affected their work and income-generating opportunities.<\/p>\n

Mohammad Musa Ibrahimi, a resident of Kabul who works in online marketing and with online educational centers, says he has repeatedly lost work opportunities because of slow internet speeds.<\/p>\n

“To purchase a product from a foreign website, we had to log in at a specific time. The product was in high demand and was available only during a limited period. Because of the slow and unstable internet connection, I was unable to place the order. The problem continued for nearly a week, and by then the product was no longer available on the website, causing us to miss the opportunity to buy it,” he says.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, a number of youth are calling for lower internet package costs, improved service quality, and expanded internet access across the country.<\/p>\n

Maryam Sharifi, a 22-year-old resident of Kabul’s District 17 and a student at an online university, calls on the authorities to reduce internet costs and improve internet services.<\/p>\n

“We ask the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to reduce the cost of internet packages while also improving internet quality and speed. Internet access should be expanded across the country because many people, especially those living in the provinces and remote areas, still do not have access to appropriate internet services. Even joining online meetings remains extremely difficult for them,” she says.<\/p>\n

The internet is no longer a choice but a necessity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Education experts believe that the internet has become an essential need for education, and its high cost may limit learning opportunities for youth. Mahbubullah Moahed, an education expert, says,<\/p>\n

“For everyone involved in education\u2014whether teachers, school students, or university students\u2014the internet is no longer a choice but a basic necessity. Unfortunately, the high cost of internet services in Afghanistan has prevented many people, particularly those living in the provinces and remote areas, from accessing appropriate internet services. This has had a negative impact on education and the development of Afghanistan’s future generations.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, economic experts say that as the digital economy expands and online employment opportunities continue to grow, access to affordable, high-quality internet can play an important role in creating employment opportunities for youth.<\/p>\n

Sayed Masoud, an economic expert, by pointing to expand of online work says that internet access and digital skills training can create new opportunities for employment and economic growth of youth.<\/p>\n

“Today, we live in the digital age\u2014the era of e-commerce, online income generation, and performing tasks online. People can work from home and earn an income without being physically present at a workplace. Therefore, providing digital skills training and creating opportunities for online work are essential,” he says.<\/p>\n

Anayatullah Alokozay, spokesperson for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, says that the ministry has taken steps to regulate telecommunications costs and expand public access to internet services. He adds that the introduction of new telecommunications technologies is also part of the ministry’s plans.<\/p>\n

“Following a comprehensive review and meetings with telecommunications companies, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology required companies to return the prices of increased internet packages to their previous rates. At present, nearly 50 percent of the country’s telecommunications services are supported by 4G technology, and one telecommunications company has also launched a pilot 5G service in Kabul,” he says.<\/p>\n

In recent years, internet usage in Afghanistan has increased significantly, particularly among youth for education, employment, and online economic activities. However, the high cost of internet packages, low-quality service, and limited access in some areas remain major challenges for users. According to experts, addressing these challenges requires greater attention to expanding digital infrastructure and providing affordable, high-quality internet services.<\/p>\n

Reporter: Eshwa Azizi<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The high cost of internet packages and low-quality service have become major challenges for youth in Kabul. They say that expensive internet packages not only disrupt their online education but also limit their employment opportunities and ability to earn an income in the digital space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":30420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[990,9,16,351],"tags":[2067,120,165,850,1074,1515,2066],"class_list":["post-30418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-soceity","category-report","category-science-technology","tag-challenge","tag-youth","tag-education","tag-internet","tag-online","tag-work","tag-high-internet-costs"],"views":8,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30418"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30422,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30418\/revisions\/30422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}