The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has announced an important update regarding the ongoing disruption caused by issues with the AAE-1 submarine cable. On Thursday, PTCL revealed that it had successfully added additional bandwidth, significantly improving internet speeds for many users. The move has helped ease the internet slowdowns that many users have been facing in recent days.
Despite these improvements, PTCL acknowledged that some users may still experience slow speeds when using Meta-related services, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, especially during peak usage hours. The company clarified that these disruptions are temporary and would be addressed as part of the ongoing efforts to resolve the issue completely.
In a press release, PTCL confirmed that its teams, alongside the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), have been working tirelessly to restore full internet functionality. The company assured customers that a complete resolution is expected soon. PTCL’s commitment to resolving the issue was echoed in statements from last week, where the company had informed users that its teams were “working diligently” to address the disruptions caused by the fault in the international submarine cable.
Last week, PTCL had issued a statement addressing the situation, confirming that the international submarine cable outage was the primary cause of the internet slowdown. The company apologized for any inconvenience caused and emphasized that they were working swiftly to resolve the matter.
As Pakistan continues to struggle with internet disruptions, social media platform X remains blocked in the country, adding to the frustration for users. According to Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index for October, Pakistan currently ranks 141 out of 158 nations in terms of fixed broadband speeds, with a median speed of just 15.6 Mbps. In terms of mobile data, the country fares slightly better, ranking 100 out of 111 countries with a median speed of 20.61 Mbps.
PTCL’s ongoing efforts to enhance internet speed by increasing bandwidth are seen as crucial steps in addressing Pakistan’s growing connectivity challenges, and the company is hopeful that the full resolution will bring significant improvements to user experience in the near future.