The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has identified a fault in the submarine cable as the cause of recent internet disruptions in Pakistan. PTA Chairman Hafiz Rahman briefed the Standing Committee on Information Technology, chaired by Syed Aminul Haque, about the issue.
Haque requested details on the cause of the disruption and the presence of a firewall system. Rahman explained that the fault in one of the submarine cables, which handles 7.5 terabits of data, was responsible. There are seven fiber optic cables, and the damaged one is expected to be repaired by August 27.
Read more: Government Blames ‘Excessive VPN Use’ for Internet Slowdowns
The committee inquired about the use of VPNs and the impact on local internet services. Rahman clarified that the disruption was due to the cable fault and was not a global issue but specific to Pakistan.
Previously, Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima attributed the disruption to increased VPN usage, not deliberate internet throttling. She noted that the rise in VPN use strained the network, affecting internet speed. Additionally, issues are linked to new internet firewalls implemented at main gateways to monitor and filter traffic, which also aim to trace objectionable content.
