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.
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. In February, the SEAMEWE-5 cable was cut close to Egypt. On June 17, the SEAMEWE-4 cable was cut off close to Karachi, causing another interruption and a 1,500 Gbps drop in data capacity.
A flaw in PTCL’s system configuration on July 31 exacerbated the network outages. The most recent instance was on August 17, when a 250 Gbps internet service outage was brought on by the failure of the AAE-1 cable.
Pakistan has experienced nine underwater cable failures in the last four years, underscoring the nation’s susceptibility to such interruptions. At the moment, seven submarine cables run by PTCL, Transworld, and Cybernet connect Pakistan to the world wide web.
Pakistan’s Submarine Cables and Utilized Capacity (Gbps)
| Operator | Name of Cable | Utilized Capacity (Gbps) |
| PTCL | SMW 3 | 10.8 |
| PTCL | SMW 4 | 1501 |
| PTCL | IMEWE | 1822 |
| PTCL | AAE-1 | 3122 |
| TWA | SMW 5 | 1680 |
| TWA | TW 1 | 1560 |
| CyberNet | PEACE | 440 |
| Total | 10,146 |
The nation’s current 10,146 Mbps internet capacity is supported by these cables, which are essential to Pakistan’s internet connectivity. Operators have two hours to alert the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in the case of a cable outage.
There are 293 FLL operators in Pakistan that offer internet services. Additionally, 180 data CVAS operators depend on FLL infrastructure to supply connectivity for the final mile. According to the document, there are 473 internet service providers in the nation.
Major Submarine Cable Faults in Past 4 years
| Time | Submarine Cable/System | Type and Location of Fault | Impact | Resolution Time |
| 17 Aug 2024 | AAE-1 | Maintenance activity | Ongoing disruption in internet | By 27 Aug 2024 |
| (250 Gbps reduction) | services | |||
| 31 July 2024 | PTCL System | Error in route configuration | Few hours disruption | Resolved |
| 17 June 2024 | SEAMEWE-4 | Offshore near Karachi (undersea cable cut) | Ongoing disruption (1500 Gbps reduction) | By end September 2024 |
| February 2024 | SEAMEWE 5 | Egypt, land cable cut | Few hours disruption | Resolved |
| April 2023 | AAE-1 (250 Gbps reduction) | France, Land cable cut | Few hours | Resolved |
| November 2022 | SEAMEWE 5 | Egypt, land cable cut | Few hours | Resolved |
| February 2022 | TW-1 | 400 Km off Karachi | 3 months | Resolved |
| December 2021 | AAE-1 | UAE, land cut | Few hours | Resolved |
| February 2021 | TW-1 | Egypt, land cut | Few hours | Resolved |
The quality of internet service is continuously impacted by the disruptions brought on by these submarine cable breakdowns. In order to stay up with evolving technology, PTA has released revised Quality of Service (QoS) regulations that include higher thresholds for system availability and download/upload speeds.
After the agency conducted surveys, seven ISPs received notifications in July 2024 for failing to satisfy PTA’s key performance indicator (KPI) criteria.
A show-cause letter was also sent to the concerned company in February 2024 for not meeting the required KPI, as a result of a particular ISP study conducted in Gwadar. According to the Fixed Line QoS Regulations 2022, all ISPs are required to update their systems in order to reach the PTA KPI criteria.
How the PTA Handles Cable Issues and ISP Performance
To guarantee that cable issues are reported within two hours of occurring, PTA has put new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) into place. A press release is released to notify the public of the situation when there is a severe fault.
According to the paper, PTA keeps a careful eye on mitigation and repair initiatives, especially when it comes to underwater cable cuts, which frequently need for specialized repair ships.
According to the paper, customer complaints, particularly those pertaining to service quality, are handled by PTA’s complaint management system (CMS). Consumers can file complaints online or by calling the PTA’s toll-free number.
