Islamabad, Oct 28: PTA Struggles to Monitor Heavy WhatsApp and Facebook Usage, Causing Slowdowns. According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority , social apps have been experiencing slowdowns due to their high user volume.
The National Assembly was notified that Meta’s Facebook and WhatsApp have been severely disrupted by recent internet outages in Pakistan. According to the regulator, META’s Facebook has a notably big user base of almost 50 million in Pakistan, more than any other social networking platform. It added that one among the most widely used real-time apps is META’s WhatsApp. According to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority any lag or deterioration on META and WhatsApp is likely to be apparent in comparison to other platforms.
The SMW4 cable cut in June 2024, which resulted in a data loss of 1.5 terabytes per second, and a subsequent problem in the AAE-1 cable, which created a data shortage of 0.25 terabytes per second, were the two main undersea cable difficulties causing the slowdown, according to PTA authorities. To lessen the damage, telecom operators rerouted traffic to alternate routes during peak hours and warned internet customers ahead of time to expect reduced speeds.
Following a spike in consumer complaints in August, particularly regarding disruptions in WhatsApp service, the PTA promptly ordered telecom companies to resolve the problem. According to officials, the PTA brought up the issue with the telecom operators in order to troubleshoot and resolve it. On August 22, 2024, a press release was also published to inform the public.
According to their explanation, things started to get better in the middle of August 2024, and by the first week of September, META services and WhatsApp performance were regarded as satisfactory throughout their networks. The National Assembly was reassured by officials that the SMW4 cable will be fixed in October 2024, and that things would then get better and return to normal.
