The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Saturday announced it has prevented degradation of internet services in the country through the “ad hoc” addition of bandwidth in the system.
“To address the issue of degradation of Internet services due to fault in AAE-1 submarine cable on Jan. 2, 2025 ad hoc bandwidth has been arranged and added in the system,” read a statement issued by the PTA. It said the regulator is actively overseeing restoration efforts for the AAE-1 cable, adding it “is committed to ensuring that all services remain stable during this period.”
A day earlier, the PTA and PTCL had both warned that users in Pakistan might experience degradation of internet services due to a fault in the AAE-1 cable, which is one of seven international undersea cables connecting Pakistan for internet traffic. Both the regulator and the internet service provider had said team were working to resolve the situation as soon as possible.
According to PTA, the fault developed near Qatar. It had warned the fault could impact both mobile internet and broadband user experience across Pakistan.
Over the past year, Pakistan has faced several internet disruptions, with the PTA and government blaming faults in undersea cables. Several reports, however, have indicated the slowdown in internet services is linked to government attempts to implement a “national firewall.”
The persistent disruptions and speed slowdowns have attracted the ire of politicians and the general public alike, particularly freelancers who rely on the internet as a means of generating revenue.
In recent weeks, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has sought to capitalize on the public anger, swiping at ruling coalition ally Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) for failing to ensure reliable internet services for Pakistanis. In their defense, the PTA and the Ministry of I.T. have pointed to a lack of investment in the digital infrastructure, stressing Pakistan lacks the bandwidth required of its increasingly online population.
Last month, the PTA announced that a new undersea cable was being laid, with the potential to provide Pakistan an additional 24 terabytes of bandwidth; currently Pakistan relies on 8 terabytes of bandwidth through seven existing cables. The new cable should come into operation in the last quarter of this year.