PTCL denies reports of disruption in internet traffic amid the cut in underwater fibre-optic cable

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) on Saturday denied disruption in internet traffic following the reports that the underwater fibre-optic cable — South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 5 — connecting Singapore to Pakistan and Europe was cut.

According to PTCL internet traffic in Pakistan was normal and remained unaffected following the cut because the cable is not part of PTCL’s network infrastructure.

“PTCL’s traffic is not affected due to submarine cable cut,” the PTCL spokesperson told Geo News.

“PTCL’s network is functioning optimally with no service interruption,” the spokesperson added.

On the other hand, sources from the telecom sector claimed that they have noted packet drops, slow browsing and streaming since Monday (April 22).

According to the sources, the issue has been linked to the underwater South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 5 cable, also known as SEA-ME-WE 5, which was cut near Indonesia.

Reportedly, five cuts on the fibre-optic submarine cable were noted and it will take some time to fix.

“Internet service coming from the eastern direction was affected due to a cut of optic fibre cable. PTCL eastbound traffic is affected,” the sources claimed.

They added that Pakistani users will face severe difficulties in browsing during evening hours.

“The traffic coming from the east direction is less than 10%,” the sources said, adding that the internet traffic coming from the eastern direction has been shifted to alternate channels.