Pakistan is preparing to roll out a locally developed secure messaging application, Beep, for government employees, as part of efforts to strengthen official communications and data security. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecom was informed that the app, inspired by China’s WeChat, is nearing completion and is expected to meet its project deadline of June 30, 2026.
Developed by the National Information Technology Board (NITB), Beep has been certified by relevant government agencies for official use. According to NITB Chief Executive Faisal Iqbal Ratyal, the app will be launched in phases, beginning with federal ministries and attached departments, with rollout expected to start within the next two months.
The platform will offer end-to-end encryption for text messages and video calls and will be integrated with Pakistan’s federal e-Office system. This integration is intended to enable secure messaging, document sharing, and workflow coordination across government institutions. Officials emphasized that Beep’s servers will be hosted within Pakistan, addressing concerns over foreign-based data storage associated with popular platforms such as WhatsApp.
Committee members raised questions about data security and operational costs. The NITB said Beep would operate on a usage-based fee model and aims to become financially self-sustaining, though revenue generation is not its primary objective. The National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) has formally cleared the application for deployment.
In a separate discussion, lawmakers rejected the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s claim that 99 percent of users are satisfied with mobile and internet services. Committee members described the figure as unrealistic, citing frequent service disruptions. They called for independent third-party audits of Quality of Service reports and reiterated that any concessions in the upcoming 5G spectrum auction should be tied to tangible network improvements.
