Govt launches Africa-2 cable project to resolve internet woes

In a bid to address recent internet disruptions, the government has launched the Africa-2 Cable Project, a state-of-the-art initiative designed to enhance internet infrastructure and improve data transmission across the nation, Express News reported on Thursday.

The Africa-2 Cable Project is the world's largest undersea network, stretching 45,000 kilometres. Spanning 33 countries, it incorporates 46 landing stations globally, marking a major milestone for international internet infrastructure.

According to a recent report by global Internet monitor Top10VPN.com, Pakistan suffered the highest economic losses in the world from Internet outages in 2024, with total losses amounting to $1.62 billion. This figure surpassed losses in conflict-ridden countries such as Sudan and Myanmar.

The report, published on January 2, revealed that Pakistan experienced a staggering 9,735 hours of Internet disruptions, which impacted 82.9 million users. The disruptions were primarily attributed to political events, including elections and protests.

In response to recent Internet slowdowns, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) arranged temporary bandwidth to address disruptions caused by a fault in the Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) submarine cable, which affected the country’s Internet performance.

The AAE-1 cable is one of the seven international undersea cables linking Pakistan to global networks.

Additionally, the government is in talks with Elon Musk’s Starlink to introduce satellite Internet services in Pakistan, as part of broader efforts to improve connectivity across the country. The challenges posed by Internet disruptions continue to weigh heavily on Pakistan’s IT sector, particularly its freelancers.