ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication (IT) Shaza Fatima said on Saturday that efforts are underway to reroute an additional 200 gigabytes per second soon.
In a statement, the IT Minister said that 630 gigabytes per second of the affected traffic have already been diverted to an alternative route.
She confirmed that “interference in internet services due to a fault in the AAE-1 submarine cable affected 1,000 gigabytes per second of data traffic.”
Her remarks came hours after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that there was no longer any slowdown in internet services across the country after adding temporary bandwidth to the system to resolve the issue.
The PTA said in a brief statement that “[…] Ad hoc bandwidth has been arranged and added to the system to address the issue of degradation of internet services due to a fault in the AAE1 submarine cable on January 2, 2025.”
The statement said that the PTA is actively monitoring the restoration efforts of the AAE-1 submarine cable and is committed to ensuring that all services remain stable during this period.
The authority had revealed last week that internet and broadband users may face disruptions due to a fault in the AAE-1 submarine cable near Qatar.
The fault was reported in the AAE-1 submarine cable near Qatar, which is one of seven international undersea cables connecting Pakistan for international internet traffic.
Pakistan has been grappling with slow internet speeds since last year, with the government consistently blaming faults in the submarine cable, while reports hint at a possible “firewall” experiment by the authorities.
The internet slowdown has been particularly difficult for freelancers, who number over two million and play a vital role in the country’s development.
Not only have courts been moved against slow internet as well as social media disruptions, but even government allies have expressed frustration over the persistent problems inside and outside parliament.
Bilawal Bhutto, chairman of his ally Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), questioned why the fish only target Pakistan’s undersea fiber optic cables.
According to the list released by Ookla Speedtest Global Index, Pakistan ranks 100 out of 111 countries in mobile internet speed with a download speed of 20.61Mbps and an upload speed of 8.53Mbps.
Meanwhile, the index ranked the country 141 out of 158 countries in broadband speed with a download speed of 15.60Mbps and an upload speed of 15.53Mbps.
However, in a positive development last month, it was revealed that a major undersea internet cable is being laid, which is expected to significantly increase internet speed and reliability.
The project falls under the 2Africa Submarine Cable System, which PTA has facilitated through Trans World Associates (TWA) as the landing party for the cable in Pakistan.
The 2Africa cable, stretching 45,000 km, with a capacity of 180Tbps using the latest SDM1 technology, connects 46 locations in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
The PTA had announced in a press release that the cable, supported by a global consortium that includes Meta and Vodafone, is expected to go live in Pakistan by Q4 2025.
The installation began on 1 December 2024, as the first phase of the work, included the landing of the cable at Hawksbay, Karachi. The second phase of the deep-sea cable is scheduled to begin laying on April 1, 2025.
Once operational, the cable will provide Pakistan with 24 terabytes of bandwidth. A French company is involved in the installation of the 45,000-kilometer cable.
The improved bandwidth will also improve the performance of platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.
Currently, Pakistan relies on about 8 terabytes of bandwidth provided by seven existing cables. The new system, which will connect the African region to Pakistan, aims to improve connectivity and address long-standing complaints about slow internet speeds.
