The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Tuesday said that a dual cut in the terrestrial segment of South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 5 — a submarine communications cable system that extends between Singapore and France — had been reported impacting internet services across the country.

In a tweet, it said that the fault had been reported between the cities of Abu Talab and Zafrana in Egypt.

“Alternate arrangements to provide uninterrupted internet services to the users have been made. Work is underway to remove the fault,” it added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) said that internet services in the country were partially impacted and some customers may face “minor service degradation”.

“PTCL in conjunction with the International Submarine Consortium is working to fully restore internet services on priority,” it said in a statement, adding that the company had ample bandwidth on alternate cables to cater to data needs.

The SEAMEWE-5 submarine cable system, commissioned in 2016, is nearly 20,000 kilometres long, extending from Marseille in France to Singapore.

Currently, there are seven submarine internet cable systems connecting to Pakistan, of which four are operated by Pakistan Telecom­mu­nication Company Limited, two by Transworld Associates, and a new cable system that recently came online, owned by a Chinese company.

Opinion

Editorial

Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...
Provincial share
Updated 17 Mar, 2024

Provincial share

PPP has aptly advised Centre to worry about improving its tax collection rather than eying provinces’ share of tax revenues.
X-communication
17 Mar, 2024

X-communication

IT has now been a month since Pakistani authorities decided that the country must be cut off from one of the...
Stateless humanity
17 Mar, 2024

Stateless humanity

THE endless hostility between India and Pakistan has reduced prisoners to mere statistics. Although the two ...