Internet users reported sluggish speeds on Tuesday, especially in parts of Upper Punjab and Islamabad
An international cable consortium has completed repairs on a defective repeater in one of its submarine cables that restored internet connection throughout Pakistan, announced Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited on Wednesday.
Internet users had reported sluggish speeds on Tuesday, especially in parts of Upper Punjab and Islamabad, where connection problems were further exacerbated by the prevailing law and order situation.
On Monday, PTCL had warned that Internet users over Pakistan could experience slower speeds and intermittent connection as maintenance work was done on one of the country’s most important uninvaled cables.
A scheduled repair operation began around 1 p.m. 11 Pakistan standard time on Tuesday to fix the defective repeater in the underwater cable system, the statement states.
The activity was expected to last up to 18 hours where customers could face degradation or delays in international connection. “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate our customers’ patience during this important maintenance window,” said a spokesman for the telecom operator.
PTCL, the state-owned Telecom operator, manages three of Pakistan’s six submarine optical fiber cable systems that provide international internet connection. The remaining systems include two drives of Trans World Associates (PVT.) LTD and one of Cyber Internet Services under Peace Cable Network.
Together, these six submarine systems offer a total capacity of about 13 terabits per day. Second (TBPS), while Pakistan’s current national use varies between 7 and 8 TBPs, according to PTCL.
