ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has revealed that a fault in the submarine cable is the reason behind the recent internet disruption across Pakistan. PTA Chairman Hafiz Rahman disclosed this during a briefing to the Standing Committee on Information Technology, chaired by Syed Aminul Haque.
Syed Aminul Haque asked the chairman PTA to inform the public about the reasons for the disruption. The PTA chairman explained that 7.5 terabits of data enter Pakistan through a single cable, and a fault in that submarine cable led to the disruption. He further mentioned that Pakistan is connected by seven fiber optic cables, and one of them is currently damaged, with repairs expected to be completed by August 27.
Committee members raised questions about the use of VPNs and the impact of the disruption on local internet services. In response, the PTA Chairman reiterated that the submarine cable fault caused the disruption, emphasizing that it was a local issue specific to Pakistan’s cable network.
Previously, the Minister of State for IT, Shaza Fatima, claimed that the widespread use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) was responsible for the internet disruption in Pakistan. The country has been experiencing internet service interruptions for last several days.
