PTA Announces Internet Slowdown to Persist Until October
In recent weeks, internet speeds have drastically decreased, causing difficulties for users
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced on Wednesday that the internet slowdown is likely to persist until the month of October.
According to PTA, repairs to the submarine cable causing internet disruptions are expected to be completed by ‘early October’ and internet services will likely stay slow till then.
In a statement issued today, the PTA clarified that the current internet slowdown is mainly due to faults in two of the seven submarine cables connecting Pakistan internationally—SMW4 and AAE-1.
“The SMW-4 submarine cable is expected to be repaired by early October 2024,” the telecom authority noted, adding that the repair of the AAE-1 cable should improve internet performance.
The announcement from PTA comes just a week after, PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman, a retired major general, suggested during a session with a National Assembly panel that the damaged submarine cable would be repaired by August 27. During this session, he faced challenging questions from lawmakers from various political parties.
In recent weeks, internet speeds have drastically decreased, causing difficulties for users trying to send or download media and voice notes on WhatsApp with mobile data, and resulting in slow browsing even on broadband connections.
The business community and internet service providers (ISPs) have argued that government measures to monitor internet traffic, including the introduction of a so-called ‘firewall,’ have contributed to the slowdown and led to economic losses.
In contrast, the PTA attributed the slowdown to problems with a malfunctioning submarine cable, dismissing concerns about the installation of a firewall.
