Pakistan recently encountered significant internet disruptions due to damaged sea cables, resulting in extensive outages affecting internet services in various regions. The root cause of the problem was linked to breaks in the fibre optic cable that connects Singapore to Pakistan and Europe, with damage spotted at multiple locations along the cable route. Efforts to repair the damaged sections of the cable are underway, but the restoration process is expected to take approximately a month to complete, leading to continued challenges with internet connectivity for customers.
The damaged fibre optic cable near Indonesia had a widespread impact on internet services across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, with reports indicating five breaks in the underwater cable causing substantial disruptions to connectivity, particularly in eastern routes. Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd and Transworld are facing difficulties handling the eastbound traffic as they work towards resolving the issues related to the damaged sea cables. Consequently, consumers in Pakistan have been struggling to access the internet due to less than 10% of internet traffic being routed from the east, prompting efforts to reroute internet traffic through alternate channels to alleviate the impact of the outages.
To mitigate the damage caused by the damaged sea cables, PTCL has implemented measures such as rerouting internet traffic to alternate channels. Despite these efforts, customers in Pakistan may continue to face internet connectivity issues until the full restoration of the fibre optic network is completed. The situation highlights the dependence on underwater cables for global connectivity and the challenges that arise when such crucial infrastructure is compromised.