The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said it was closely monitoring the disruption to Internet traffic caused by a fault in the SEA-ME-WE 5 (SMW5) international submarine cable system.
In a statement, the authority said that “some Internet users may experience intermittent degradation in quality of service and connectivity as a result of the outage.”
The authority further said that Transworld Associates (TWA) is coordinating with the SMW5 Consortium to identify the root cause of the failure and determine the estimated time of restoration (ETTR).”
“In the meantime, Internet traffic is being rerouted via alternative international links to minimize the impact and ensure continuity of service to the greatest extent possible,” the PTA said.
“The PTA remains in close coordination with stakeholders and will continue to monitor the situation to facilitate the earliest possible restoration of normal internet services across the country,” it added.
In May this year, Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunications Shaza Fatima Khawaja informed the National Assembly that prolonged and repeated power outages across the country were among the main causes of slow internet services and deteriorating quality of telecommunications.
In written responses to the National Assembly, Shaza Fatima Khawaja said unreliable commercial electricity and reliance on solar systems, especially during the shorter days of winter, reduced backup resources and operational capacity at telecommunication sites.
Difficult terrain, inclement weather, security issues and access restrictions delayed maintenance, while fiber outages, backhaul disruptions and equipment theft further impacted service continuity.
The minister said Pakistan’s international connectivity had improved with the landing of three submarine cables in recent years. It said fiber optic connectivity had expanded significantly across the country, while fiber-based household connections had increased from 1.9 million in 2024 to 5.1 million in two years.
