ISLAMABAD: The recent widespread internet disruptions in Pakistan on Sunday reported across cities like Karachi, Peshawar, and Quetta, have caused significant inconvenience to users and businesses alike. The affected services include browsing, downloading, and popular apps like WhatsApp, Gmail, Instagram, and TikTok.
Despite complaints from users, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has provided limited clarity on the root causes of these issues.
Several factors seem to contribute to the slow internet speeds.
It is exactly a month ago on November 1, 2024, national telecom regulator Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced that internet service in Pakistan has been fully restored following repairs on the SMW4 submarine cable.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in its report appearing in national media, stated that in the SMW4 and AAE1 submarine cables were identified and addressed, initially occurring in June and August of this year, respectively.
Following the restoration of both cables, a shortfall of 1750 Gbps has been resolved, making the internet fully operational with complete speed and capacity.
Submarine Cable Issues: Pakistan’s submarine internet cables, AAE-1 and SMW4, have been identified as faulty in the past and it is not confirmed that the ongoing issue is likely to be one of the reason for the internet disruption.
National Firewall Tests: The government has been testing a new internet firewall with deep packet inspection (DPI) capabilities, reportedly causing intermittent slowdowns. Officials claim these tests are for cybersecurity improvements, but critics highlight their impact on businesses and digital communication.
Aljazeera in its report citing government officials confirmed that Pakistan has deployed Chinese technology to build a new, national internet “firewall” that will allow authorities to monitor online traffic and regulate the use of popular apps with greater control than before.
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The project aims to upgrade the government’s web monitoring capabilities at the country’s main internet gateways, as well as at the data centres of mobile service and major internet service providers.
Trials of this new firewall, installed as part of Pakistan’s internet infrastructure, were responsible for a spate of complaints of poor internet connectivity in the country in recent months.
Officially, though, government officials, while acknowledging that they are tightening the country’s online monitoring structure, have denied that this is to blame for slowdowns in internet speed.
Previous Disruptions and Protests: Recent outages linked to political unrest, including PTI protests and attempts to regulate social media traffic, have created sporadic access challenges, compounding frustrations.
These interruptions have led to economic repercussions, with industries such as IT and online commerce reporting significant losses. Stakeholders are urging authorities for transparency and effective measures to restore services promptly.
However, the lack of specific explanations and the ongoing repairs mean that full connectivity may not be restored immediately.
For the latest updates, monitoring platforms like Downdetector and following announcements from the PTA can provide real-time insights.
