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September 18, 2025 - Comments Off on IT Secretary Says Repair of Damaged Undersea Internet Cables May Take Weeks

IT Secretary Says Repair of Damaged Undersea Internet Cables May Take Weeks

IT Secretary Zarrar Hasham told the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication that repairing damaged undersea internet cables could take four to five weeks, after multiple cables were cut off the coast of Yemen.

“Not only one or two cables have been cut, but between four and five,” he said, noting that two of the damaged cables connect directly to Pakistan, affecting national connectivity. Bandwidth, he added, had been shifted to alternative networks, but full restoration required special repair vessels.

Hasham also confirmed that three new cables are planned within the next 12 to 18 months, which will connect Pakistan to Europe and enhance overall resilience. “Agreements have been made to bring these three cables to Pakistan,” he said in response to concerns raised by committee member Sadiq Memon.

This is not the first time submarine cable cuts have disrupted Pakistan’s internet. Earlier this year, faults in AAE-1, SMW4, and IMEWE networks caused repeated outages, with PTCL cautioning users about reduced bandwidth during peak hours before restoring services.

August 20, 2025 - Comments Off on Country’s internet connectivity drops to 20% after PTCL, Ufone outage

Country’s internet connectivity drops to 20% after PTCL, Ufone outage

Heavy rainfall in Karachi triggered major service disruptions to PTCL internet and Ufone networks, causing nationwide connectivity issues. Since other telecom operators source wholesale internet from PTCL, Jazz, Zong, and Telenor, subscribers also experienced service slowdowns and outages.

Netblocks, a global internet watchdog, confirmed a nationwide disruption, reporting that internet connectivity had dropped to just 20% of ordinary levels.

A PTCL spokesperson acknowledged the outage, saying teams were working to restore services but stopped short of confirming the cause. Sources in the IT and Telecom Ministry indicated the fault likely originated at a submarine cable landing station in Karachi’s Clifton area. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) also confirmed that technical teams were working on the issue.

IT Minister Shaza Fatima attributed the disruptions to power outages, flood damage, and network congestion, noting that Karachi’s 12 million mobile subscribers were heavily impacted. With Ufone offline, load shifted to the remaining three operators, further straining their networks.

Telecom officials highlighted additional challenges, including difficulties in supplying diesel to generators and damage to more than 200 towers, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s flood-affected regions.

As a result, Karachi residents reported telephony blackouts in several areas.