Pakistan Telecommunications Limited (PTCL) announced on Thursday that internet services in the country have returned to full functionality following the complete restoration of the Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) undersea cable.
The AAE-1 cable, which spans 25,000 kilometers, connects numerous countries across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The cable links Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Italy, and France, according to the AAE-1 website.
Throughout 2024, internet users in Pakistan faced disruptions, including slow internet speeds and restricted access to online services. PTCL had previously addressed these issues on January 3, stating that its teams were actively working to resolve the disruptions caused by a fault in the AAE-1 cable. This fault significantly impacted internet speeds across the country.
On January 4, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja revealed that about 80% of the bandwidth shortfall had been restored by rerouting traffic to alternative cables. However, PTCL had initially been unable to provide a precise timeline for resolving the slow connectivity or for repairing the cable.
In a statement issued today, PTCL confirmed that the AAE-1 cable had been completely restored, bringing internet services back to full capacity. “PTCL resolves internet slowness caused by the AAE-1 submarine cable outage in record time. Internet services are now fully operational, and browsing is smooth,” said the spokesperson.
The company also highlighted that the additional bandwidth added during the restoration process helped minimize disruptions. Services on popular platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram were reported to be fully operational without any issues.
“Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and PTCL teams worked tirelessly to restore full connectivity. PTCL thanks customers for their patience and understanding during the restoration process,” the statement concluded.
