The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has clarified that internet disruptions nationwide are due to faults in two of the seven submarine cables connecting Pakistan to the global internet.
On Thursday, the PTA reported that one cable suffered a 250GB outage due to rerouting through Iran and Qatar, while another cable near Karachi was also damaged.
Read more: PTA Explains Causes of Internet Disruptions in Pakistan
Operators are rerouting traffic to other cables to maintain service, and efforts are underway to resolve the issue. The PTA is monitoring the situation and will update users as needed.
Previously, the PTA had attributed the disruptions to issues with the submarine cables, despite also mentioning the installation of a National Firewall System (NFS) to manage social media content.
PTA Chairman Major General (retired) Hafeez Ur Rehman, who appeared before the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT and Telecom, confirmed the NFS was installed following government decisions from the PTI era, but emphasized that recent disruptions were due to the cable faults.
The PTA informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) that the disruptions were caused by the submarine cable faults, an error by an internet company on July 31, a cyberattack on August 15, and excessive VPN use.
