Pakistan is ready for a major digital upgrade this year as the government is preparing to put new submarine internet cables to strengthen the connection and support 5G technology -rolling.
Federal Minister of Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Thursday that the project would not only improve internet speed Radio Pakistan.
“The new cables will expand the bandwidth capacity, reduce the dependence on older systems and place Pakistan as a stronger participant in global digital networks,” Fatima said.
Read: Internet upgrade
Previously, Pakistan also actively participated in major global underwater projects, including 2africa cable, installed in Karachi by the end of 2024 and expected to go live at the end of 2025 with a capacity of 180 Tbps. Other projects such as Africa – 1, Peace and MGG – 1 are expected to collectively add over 26 Tbps bandwidth.
Photo courtesy: Ptcl
The extra infrastructure, including the three new cables, is expected to help overcome recurring problems associated with exposed cables, such as Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) and Southeast Asia-Middenle East-Western Europe 4 (SMW-4), according to Fatima.
Read more: IT minister is discussing AI, fiber collaboration
The government considers the expansion as central to its wider digital strategy aimed at attracting investment, improving service delivery and enabling companies to scale in a more connected economy.
Industrial experts say the move could pave the way for faster adoption of 5G and strengthen Pakistan’s regional position in digital trade, the statement claimed.
