Submarine cable fault slows internet across Pakistan

Alternate measures to provide uninterrupted internet services to users have been taken on priority basis, says PTA

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday said that it had found a fault in the international submarine cable, SMW4, operated by the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) in the Indian ocean due to which some internet users may experience downgraded speeds during peak hours.

A statement from the telecommunication authority said that alternate measures to provide uninterrupted internet services to the users have been taken on a priority basis to meet capacity requirements including additional ad hoc bandwidth in the system.

Press Release: A fault has been reported in the international submarine cable, SMW4, operated by PTCL, in the Indian ocean due to which some #internet users may experience downgraded speeds during peak hours. pic.twitter.com/k1siuMsmHs

— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) January 13, 2022

It further said that work is underway to fully restore the internet services at the earliest. "The PTA is monitoring the situation and will continue to update on it," it concluded.

Read more: PTA says faulty submarine cable in UAE repaired

The South East Asia-Middle East-West Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4, SMW4) is an approximately 18,800 km submarine cable connecting Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Italy, Tunisia, Algeria and France.

It provides the primary Internet backbone between South East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Europe, according to Wikipedia.

Also read: Submarine cable fault disrupts internet services in Pakistan

In December, a fault in one of the international submarine cables near Karachi slowed internet speed across the country.

However, alternate arrangements to provide uninterrupted internet services to the users were made by relevant service providers by obtaining additional bandwidth and capacity to meet the requirements.