Zarrar Hasham, the secretary of information and technology (IT), stated on Thursday that it could take four to five weeks to repair broken underwater internet lines.
In response to member Sadiq Memon’s question regarding the slow internet and interruptions during today’s meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, the IT secretary stated that several cables had been severed off the coast of Yemen, impacting internet services.
“There are four to five cables that have been cut, not just one or two,” Hasham informed the gathering at the IT Park in Islamabad. Given the circumstances in Yemen, the matter is grave. There have been issues with two cables that are headed to Pakistan.
The secretary went on to say that other networks now had more bandwidth.
He stated that special boats would be needed to carry out the repairs, which may take four to five weeks.
Memory said that it Three fresh cables are reportedly on the way.
“Why are there still problems with the internet if three new cables are on the way?” He went on.
The IT secretary gave a positive response.
“In the next 12 to 18 months, three more cables will be delivered, bringing connectivity to Pakistan from Europe,” Hasham said.
“These three cables will be delivered to Pakistan as agreed upon.”
Damage to underwater internet cables has previously impacted services in Pakistan.
Cuts to submarine internet cables in Saudi waters may affect internet services in the country during peak hours, Pakistan Telecommunications Limited (PTCL) said earlier this month. The damage affected the partial bandwidth capacity of the IMEWE (India-Middle East-Western Europe) and SMW4 (South Asia-Middle East-West Asia) networks.
Throughout 2024, internet users in Pakistan complained about slow internet and difficulty accessing services. A failure in the AAE-1 subsea internet cable linking Pakistan slowed down the network speed across the nation. On January 3 of this year, PTCL stated that teams were “diligently” working to remedy the issue of disruptions suffered by consumers.
After the Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) undersea internet cable was fully restored, PTCL declared on January 16 that internet services were “now fully operational.”
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
