Netizens reported slow speeds on Tuesday, especially in parts of upper Punjab and Islamabad.
An international cable consortium has completed repairs to a faulty repeater in one of its submarine cables, restoring internet connectivity across Pakistan, the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited said on Wednesday.
Internet users reported slow speeds on Tuesday, particularly in parts of upper Punjab and Islamabad, where connectivity issues were further compounded by the ongoing law and order situation.
On Monday, PTCL had warned that internet users across Pakistan may experience slower speeds and intermittent connectivity due to maintenance work being carried out on one of the country’s major submarine cables.
A scheduled repair operation began around 11 a.m. Pakistan Standard Time on Tuesday to repair the faulty repeater of the submarine cable system, the statement said.
The activity was expected to last up to 18 hours, during which customers may experience service degradation or delays in international connectivity. “We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate our customers’ patience during this essential maintenance window,” a spokesperson for the telecom operator said.
PTCL, the state-owned telecommunications operator, operates three of Pakistan’s six fiber optic submarine cable systems that provide international internet connectivity. The remaining systems include two operated by Trans World Associates (Pvt.) Ltd and one by Cyber Internet Services under the PEACE cable network.
Together, these six submarine cable systems provide a total capacity of around 13 terabits per second (Tbps), while Pakistan’s current national usage is between 7 and 8 Tbps, according to PTCL.
