The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday announced that internet and broadband users may experience disruptions due to a fault in submarine cable AAE-1 near Qatar.
In a statement, the regulator noted that the AAE-1 was one of the seven international undersea cables connecting Pakistan for international internet traffic. A fault in it, it said, “may impact internet and broadband user experience across Pakistan.”
The PTA said relevant teams were working to fix the fault. “The PTA is monitoring the situation and will keep updating telecom users accordingly,” it added.
The latest disruption comes as the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology has censured the government for failing to resolve frequent internet disruptions and speed issues. The situation has been debated on the floors of both House of Parliament multiple times, with lawmakers lamenting that the ongoing disruptions are causing financial losses to the country’s I.T. industry.
During this week’s meeting of the National Assembly panel, lawmakers sought an in-camera briefing from the Interior Ministry on alleged security concerns hampering normal internet services. They also summoned the chairman of the Pakistan Software Houses Association to apprise them of losses to I.T. industry. The parliamentarians also debated a proposal for the registration of VPNs.
New undersea cable
The government maintains that internet services are gradually improving and have pointed to a lack of investment in the digital infrastructure as the reason for the frequent disruptions. Last month, the government announced that a new undersea cable was being laid that would improve infrastructure in the country and boost services.
Falling under the 2Africa Submarine Cable System, the new cable stretches 45,000km and connects 46 locations across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. According to the PTA, the cable will start operating in Pakistan near the end of 2025.
Once operational, the cable will provide Pakistan with an additional 24 terabytes of bandwidth. Currently, Pakistan relies on approximately 8 terabytes of bandwidth provided by seven cables.