PTA resolves internet service issues

Says ad hoc bandwidth has been arranged to fix issue

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ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Telecommun-ication Authority (PTA) announced on Saturday that the issue of degraded internet services across the country has been resolved following the incorporation of a temporary bandwidth into the system.

The authority confirmed that internet services were now stable after the resolution of the issue related to the AAE-1 submarine cable fault.

"[...] to address the issue of degradation of Internet services due to fault in AAE1 submarine cable on January 2, 2025 ad hoc bandwidth has been arranged and added in the system," PTA said in a brief statement.

The PTA further reassured that it was actively overseeing the restoration efforts for the AAE-1 submarine cable and was committed to maintaining stable internet services during this period.

Last week, the PTA had warned users that internet and broadband services might experience disruptions due to a fault in the AAE-1 submarine cable near Qatar. The submarine cable is one of the seven international undersea cables connecting Pakistan for international internet traffic.

However, it is pertinent to note that Pakistan has been grappling with slow internet speeds since last year, with the government often attributing the issues to submarine cable faults.

There are also ongoing reports suggesting potential experimentation with a "firewall" by authorities. The internet slowdown has particularly affected freelancers, more than two million of whom contribute significantly to Pakistan's economy.

The issue has drawn attention in the courts, with cases filed over the slow internet and social media disruptions.

The government's allies have also expressed dissatisfaction with the persistent internet issues, both in parliament and beyond.

Meanwhile, in terms of global internet rankings, Pakistan has struggled. According to the Ookla Speedtest Global Index, the country was ranked 100 out of 111 nations in mobile internet speeds, with a download speed of 20.61 Mbps and an upload speed of 8.53 Mbps.

In broadband speeds, Pakistan ranked 141 out of 158 countries, with a download speed of 15.60 Mbps and an upload speed of 15.53 Mbps.