ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has identified a fault in a submarine cable as the cause of the recent internet disruption in Pakistan. PTA Chairman Hafiz Rahman shared this information during a briefing with the Standing Committee on Information Technology, led by Syed Aminul Haque.
According to the PTA Chairman, 7.5 terabits of data flow into Pakistan through a single submarine cable, and a fault in this cable has led to the disruption. He explained that Pakistan is connected by seven fiber optic cables, and the damaged one is expected to be repaired by August 27.
Committee members raised questions about the use of VPNs and their impact on internet services. The PTA Chairman confirmed that the disruption was due to the submarine cable issue and was not a global problem but specific to Pakistan.
Earlier, Minister of State for IT, Shaza Fatima, mentioned that the widespread use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) had contributed to the internet slowdown. She clarified that the internet was neither blocked nor deliberately slowed, but the increased use of VPNs had put a strain on the network.
Pakistan has been experiencing internet disruptions, partly due to the implementation of internet firewalls at the country’s main internet gateways. These systems are designed to monitor and filter online traffic, and while they can control or block certain content, they also have the capability to trace the source of objectionable material.