Fault in submarine cable near Qatar may affect Pakistan internet users: PTA

• PTA says concerned teams working to fix fault.
• NA body seeks interior minister's briefing on internet issues.
• P@SHA chairman to brief MNAs on losses to IT industry.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday said that internet and broadband users may experience disruptions as submarine cable AAE-1 near Qatar developed fault.

In a statement for general public information, the PTA said that a fault has been reported in the submarine cable AAE-1 near Qatar — one of the seven international undersea cables connecting Pakistan for international internet traffic.

"The concerned teams are working to fix the fault. The PTA is monitoring the situation and will keep updating telecom users accordingly," it added.

Netizens in Pakistan have been reeling from frequent internet disruption and speed issues alongside ban on social media platform — X (formerly Twitter) — for several months.

The matter also came into debate in both houses of parliament multiple times but to no avail.

The disruption also resulted in financial losses to the country's IT industry as well.

Citing internet disruption and speed problems, the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Information Technology earlier today sought an in-camera briefing of the interior minister after government and opposition lawmakers debated the matter, including a potential ban on virtual private networks (VPNs).

During today's session, Opposition Leader in the NA Omar Ayub strongly opposed blocking and registration of VPNs. He also sought constitution of a sub-committee to thoroughly review internet closure and slow speed.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Sharmila Faruqui suggested that representatives of the interior ministry should be summoned to the committee to brief lawmakers on the longstanding issue. The suggestion was also backed by another PPP lawmaker Syed Ali Qasim Gillani.

Slamming the federal government, Faruqui added that her husband was also involved in freelance business and has suffered losses due to internet issues.

Meanwhile, NA body's Chairman Syed Amin-ul-Haque said that they should get a briefing from the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) chairman to determine the financial impacts due to the internet closure.

In response, Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima said that the P@SHA chairman had already informed about a loss of $8 billion to the country's IT industry.

Haque said that the government had also set a target of $15 billion IT exports. He stressed the government to bring improvements to the system for uninterrupted internet services for the nationals.

Later, the NA body summoned an in-camera briefing of the interior minister and P@SHA chairman in its next session.

New undersea cable for Pakistan

It emerged last month that a major undersea internet cable is being laid, which is expected to considerably enhance internet speed and reliability.

The project falls under the 2Africa Submarine Cable System, facilitated by the PTA through the Transworld Associate (TWA) as the landing party for the cable in Pakistan.

The 2Africa cable, stretching 45,000 kilometres, connects 46 locations across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, with the use of state-of-the-art SDM1 technology with a capacity of 180Tbps.

Supported by a global consortium that includes Meta and Vodafone, the cable is expected to go live in Pakistan by Q4 2025, PTA had announced in a press release.

Installation started on December 1, 2024, as the first phase of the work, Pre-Lay Shore End (PLSE) installation included the cable landing at Hawksbay, Karachi. The second phase deep-sea laying of the cable is planned to start on April 1, 2025.

Once operational the cable will provide Pakistan with 24 terabytes of bandwidth. A French company is involved in installing the 45,000-kilometre cable, Geo News reported.

The enhanced bandwidth will also improve the performance of platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

Currently, Pakistan relies on approximately 8 terabytes of bandwidth provided by seven existing cables. The new system, connecting the African region to Pakistan, aims to improve connectivity and address long-standing complaints of slow internet speeds.