Multiple underwater cable failures caused some significant and untidy internet outages in Pakistan this year, leaving the country with a 1,750 Gbps data capacity shortage, according to leaked documents.
In 2024, the nation experienced four instances of underwater cable failures that affected internet services all around the country.
According to the documents, there were two small and two large faults this year. The SEAMEWE-5 cable was severed in February near Egypt. The SEAMEWE-4 cable was severed near Karachi on June 17, resulting in yet another disruption and a 1,500 Gbps reduction in data capacity.
On July 31, a problem with PTCL’s system configuration made the network failures even worse. When the AAE-1 cable failed on August 17, the most recent example occurred, resulting in a 250 Gbps internet service disruption.
Nine underwater cable failures have occurred in Pakistan in the past four years, highlighting the country’s vulnerability to such disruptions. Pakistan is currently connected to the internet via seven submarine cables operated by PTCL, Transworld, and Cybernet.
These cables provide Pakistan’s internet capacity, which currently stands at 10,146 Mbps, and are essential to the country’s internet connectivity. Operators must notify the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) within two hours of any cable disruption.
Read more: Mobile Internet in Pakistan Is Among the Worst Across the World
In Pakistan, there are 293 FLL operators that provide internet services. Furthermore, 180 data CVAS operators rely on FLL infrastructure to provide connection for the last mile. The document states that there are 473 ISPs in the country.
These undersea cable failures produce disruptions that affect the quality of internet service for a long time.
As technology advances, PTA has released revised Quality of Service (QoS) rules that set higher requirements for system availability and download/upload speeds.
Following surveys by the authority, seven ISPs received notifications in July 2024 for failing to reach PTA’s key performance indicator (KPI) standard. The company in question was also given a show-cause notice in February 2024 for not meeting the necessary KPI, as a result of a particular ISP survey conducted in Gwadar.
As stated in the Fixed Line QoS Regulations 2022, all ISPs are required to modify their systems in order to reach the PTA KPI criteria.
PTA’s Actions to Resolve ISP Performance and Cable Issues:
New Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been put in place by PTA to guarantee that cable failures are reported within two hours of occurring. The public is informed about the problem through a press release when there is a severe fault. PTA keeps a careful eye on mitigation and repair operations, according to the paper, especially when it comes to underwater cable cuts, which frequently call for specialised repair ships.
The memo further said that complaints about service quality are handled by PTA’s complaint management system (CMS). Through the PTA’s online complaint portal or toll-free phone, customers can file complaints.