Karachi: In a positive development for Pakistani Internet users who have been plagued by intermittent Internet problems lately, the Africa-1 submarine cable has been connected to the country’s internet infrastructure.
The internet cable 10,000 kilometers long with high data transmission capacity – connecting Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and France – was connected to the exchange of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL).
The PTCL announced this stage in an opinion on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, highlighting a revolutionary ceremony on Saturday to officially connect to the high capacity cable.
“The revolutionary celebration to connect to the high-capacity Africa-1 submarine cable is scheduled for February 22, 2025 at the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) landing site in Sea View, Karachi,” said the notification.
“This marks a transformative step in the progress of digital connectivity in Pakistan.”
The investment for the Africa-1 initiative was approved by the PTCL board of directors in November 2020, or $ 59.5 million.
“This project aims to establish connectivity between water, Europe and Africa, with multiple landing stations along the route,” added the opinion.
The PTCL revealed that it had started to invest in the project in the context of its capital expenses (CAPEX) from 2021 project cost in the year “.
According to PTCL, the project should be ready for the service (RFS) by the first quarter of 2026.
Once operational, the Africa-1 submarine cable will allow PTCL to generate project income, contributing positively to the highest growth in the company.
All these developments are involved in the midst of frequent internet disturbances in the country.
Last month, the president of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the president (R) Hafez Ur Rehman, informed the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Information Technologies and Telecommunications according to four new cables under -Marins were presented to improve the internet performance of the country.
