Nationwide internet services are expected to remain slow until early October, according to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The delay is due to repairs needed on a faulty submarine cable.
Recent weeks have seen a significant drop in internet speeds, causing issues with media and voice note transmissions on WhatsApp and slow browsing even on broadband. While some in the business community and internet service providers have suggested that government efforts to monitor internet traffic, including a proposed firewall, may be responsible, the government denies throttling claims.
The PTA attributes the slowdown to faults in two international submarine cables, SMW-4 and AAE-1. It expects repairs to SMW-4 by early October, which should help restore internet speeds. Submarine cable AAE-1 has already been repaired, which may improve connectivity.
Previously, PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman had anticipated repairs by August 27, but faced scrutiny from lawmakers. The PTA also cited a damaged cable, ISP misconfigurations, and possible cyber-attacks as contributing factors to the outages.
The government has pointed to increased VPN usage due to a ban on social media platform X as another reason for the slowdown. Amnesty International has urged for more transparency regarding the internet disruptions and the use of surveillance technologies.
