Internet services across Pakistan were affected on January 2 due to a fault in the international submarine cable AAE-1, disrupting 1,000 gigabytes per second (Gbps) of data traffic, stated Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima on Saturday.
The state minister claimed that alternative arrangements have been made to mitigate the impact.
"Of the affected data traffic, 630Gbps has already been diverted to an alternative route, and another 200Gbps will be rerouted soon to ensure seamless connectivity," she said.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed that there has been no major degradation in internet service nationwide. The PTA is closely monitoring the situation and working with stakeholders to expedite the restoration of the submarine cable.
Also Read: PTA dismisses claims of internet disruption in Pakistan
Authorities have assured the public that efforts are underway to fully restore internet services as soon as possible. Users may, however, experience minor slowdowns until the restoration process is complete. Further updates will be provided as the situation develops.
Addressing the issue of a fault in the global submarine cable, the PTA announced on Saturday that internet services across the country remain stable despite a fault in the global submarine cable AAE-1.
The issue was first reported on January 2, 2025, near Qatar, one of the seven international undersea cables that connect Pakistan to global internet traffic.
Also Read: Internet disrupted across Pakistan over submarine cable fault
“To address the issue of degradation of internet services due to the fault in AAE-1 submarine cable, ad hoc bandwidth has been arranged and added to the system,” the PTA said in a press release. “PTA is committed to ensuring that all services remain stable during this period."
On Friday, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) confirmed the cable outage and said users may experience slow browsing. "Teams are working diligently to resolve the matter as soon as possible," PTCL stated on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The PTA also highlighted that a fault in the submarine cable near Qatar might temporarily impact the internet and broadband experience for users in Pakistan.
