On Tuesday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) revealed significant advancements in enhancing international connectivity through new submarine cable systems. This announcement follows a recent period of slow internet across the nation, which the PTA attributed to a “faulty submarine cable” on August 21. They also clarified that no firewalls were being installed, responding to public and legislative criticism.
Shortly thereafter, Pakistan’s Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s report regarding the internet slowdown, calling for the Ministry of Information Technology’s technical member to attend the next hearing.
As of August 28, the PTA advised that internet services across the country would likely remain sluggish until “early October” as repairs on the submarine cable were expected to be completed by then.
In their latest statement, the PTA highlighted their collaboration with Transworld Associates, the landing partner for Pakistan’s part in the 2Africa Submarine Cable project, which connects 46 locations across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Spanning an impressive 45,000 kilometers, the 2Africa cable will utilize SDM1 technology, providing a capacity of 180Tbps.
Supported by a consortium including major players like Meta and Vodafone, the cable is set to go live in Pakistan by the fourth quarter of 2025. Phase 1, involving Pre-Lay Shore End (PLSE) installation, is slated to begin on December 1, 2024, with the cable landing at Hawksbay, Karachi. Phase 2, which involves laying the deep-sea cable, is scheduled for April 1, 2025.
This project aims to bolster Pakistan’s telecommunications infrastructure and improve international connectivity significantly.
