ISLAMABAD: A fault in one of the subsea internet cables connecting Pakistan slowed down the network speed in the country on Thursday, the telecom regulator said in a statement.
According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the fault developed in the Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) cable near Qatar.
“This may impact internet and broadband user experience across Pakistan,” the PTA notice stated.
The cable is managed by a consortium of companies, including Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL).
The fault led to significant disruption in PTCL’s network, according to Downdetector, which monitors internet outages in real time.
The online monitor reported a significant uptick in complaints by PTCL users between 8pm and 11pm.
The services of other ISPs, including Nayatel Stormfiber and Transworld, showed no significant disruption.
The PTCL manages three cables: AAE-1, SEA-ME-WE 4 (South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4) and the IMEWE (India-Middle East-Western Europe).
A senior PTCL official said the internet speed will be normal by Friday afternoon as traffic of the AAE-1 will be shifted to the other two cables.
“Up to 40 per cent excess capacity is maintained at each internet cable to accommodate the additional traffic in case cables get damaged due to inland or undersea accidents,” the official added.
The AAE-1 is a 25,000km cable connecting Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, with Malaysia and Singapore, then onwards to Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Italy and France, according to its website.
The three PTCL cables land in Pakistan at Karachi. The SEA-ME-WE 4 and IMEWE cables have landing stations at Hawksbay beach, while the AAE-1 lands at Clifton beach, close to Captain Farhan Ali Shaheed Park.
The other two companies operating internet cables in Pakistan are TransWorld Associates (TWA) and the Cyber Internet Services Ltd
The TWA operates SEA-ME-WE 5 as well as regional cable TWA-1 from Karachi to UAE and Oman, connecting internet traffic from Pakistan with international hubs in Gulf countries.
The Cyber Internet Services Ltd operates ‘PEACE’ cable originating from China. The cable goes on land to Misri Shah in DHA Karachi, from where it enters the sea to Europe.
The total capacity of the six internet cables is around 13 terabits per second (tbps), and the consumption is between 7 and 8tbps.
Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2025
