New submarine cable to boost internet speed in Pakistan
In a bid to address longstanding concerns of internet users in Pakistan, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has confirmed the laying down of a major undersea cable that is expected to enhance connection speeds in the country.
As per the details, the project falls under the 2Africa Submarine Cable System facilitated by the PTA through the Transworld Associate (TWA) as the landing party for the cable in the country.
The cable system will stretch a whopping 45,000 kilometres, connecting 46 locations across Africa, Europe and the Middle East, with the use of state-of-the-art SDM1 technology having a capacity of 180 terabytes per second.
The programme is supported by a global consortium that includes Meta and Vodafone, whereas the cable is expected to go live in Pakistan by the fourth quarter of 2025.
The first phase of installation started on December 1, 2024, and the Pre-Lay Shore End (PLSE) installation included cable landing at Hawksbay in Karachi.
The second phase of deep-sea laying of the cable is expected to start on April 1, 2025.
Once operational, the cable will provide Pakistan with 24 terabytes of bandwidth. The country is currently relying on approximately 8 terabytes of bandwidth provided by seven existing cables. With the new system connecting Pakistan to Africa, the move aims to improve connectivity and address long-standing complaints of slow internet speeds.
Additionally, the purpose of installation is to enhance the bandwidth that will improve the performance of platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.
Meanwhile, PTA has also revealed plans to devise a new regime to register Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) across the country.
It may be noted that the announcement regarding improvements to quality of internet comes amid severe criticism against the government for allegedly restricting access in a bid to curb dissent.
Opposition parties, as well as the government’s coalition partner, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), have repeatedly called out authorities over connectivity issues in the country.
At a convocation in Jamshoro on Monday, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called for robust legislation to ensure equitable and uninterrupted internet access. Discussing the importance of the internet in today’s era, the PPP chairman said that fiber-optic cables and robust internet infrastructure were the future for both current and upcoming generations.
He asserted that affordable and uninterrupted internet access was a fundamental right in the modern world, and vowed to introduce a Digital Rights Bill in parliament to secure cheap and unrestricted access for everyone.