KARACHI     -    The Pakistan Tele­communication Au­thority (PTA) Friday announced that that mobile broadband ser­vice was being restored across Pakistan after a three-day closure.

PTA spokesperson Malahat Obaid con­firmed the develop­ment saying that the service would be re­stored in a staggered manner. Meanwhile, the PTA said in its state­ment that access to so­cial media platforms Facebook, Twitter and YouTube was also being restored in the country The regulatory authori­ty had suspended mobile broadband and restricted access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube on the interi­or ministry’s instructions in the wake of violent pro­tests sparked by PTI Chair­man Imran Khan’s arrest on Tuesday. The inability to access platforms like Face­book, Twitter, Instagram, and others had a signifi­cant impact on mobile com­panies and the freelancing industry within the coun­try. The social media ban had prompted concern from several countries including the United States, who ex­pressed their anxiety over the situation. The suspen­sion of mobile broadband services caused significant financial losses for digital service providers, the gov­ernment, and the general population. Mobile broad­band services and access to social media platforms had remained suspended for a consecutive fourth day in several parts of the country on Friday in the aftermath of the riots triggered by the ar­rest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on May 9. According to a report published Thurs­day, the suspension result­ed in an estimated revenue loss of at least Rs820 mil­lion for telecom operators, while the government has lost around Rs287 million in tax revenue. Individuals who depend on digital apps and payments, such as Careem, InDrive, FoodPanda, and others also suffered a signif­icant loss in earnings. The IT industry, which was already under pressure due to al­legedly poor governmental policies and a lack of conti­nuity, also came to a stand­still since the internet sus­pension.