Pakistan’s internet disruption could continue till early October due to ‘submarine cable fault’

 

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority

According to a statement released on Wednesday by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), repairs to the damaged SMW-4 submarine cable are anticipated to be finished by early October 2024, which means that the ongoing internet delay throughout Pakistan is likely to continue.

The PTA released a statement saying, "The fault in two (SMW4, AAE-1) of the seven international submarine cables connecting Pakistan internationally is the main cause of the ongoing internet slowdown throughout the country."



According to updates, the SMW-4 underwater cable problem should be fixed by early October 2024.

The authority added that repairs have been made to the submarine cable AAE-1, "which may improve internet experience."

For nearly half a year, X (previously Twitter) has been prohibited in Pakistan, causing severe disruptions to the country's internet services.



According to one IT group, since July, internet networks have been up to 40% slower than usual. Tens of millions of users of WhatsApp have also experienced disruptions with documents, photos, and voice notes.



PTA dismissed claims of firewall installation last week and blamed Pakistan's internet outage on a "faulty submarine cable."



PTA Chairman Major General Hafeezur Rehman (retd) said, "The country's internet slowdown is caused by a faulty submarine cable, which is expected to be repaired by August 28."