Pakistan’s Internet Faces Disruptions as Submarine Cable Fault Could Not Be Repaired, Govt Confirms

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, chaired by Aminul Haque, was informed on Tuesday that the submarine cable fault near Yemen has not yet been fully repaired, continuing to affect Pakistan’s internet connectivity.

Briefing the committee, the Secretary of IT and Telecommunication stated that while the consortium responsible for the submarine system is working to restore the fault, Pakistan’s internet traffic has already been shifted to alternative routes to minimize disruptions.

Committee members raised concerns over the deteriorating quality of mobile and broadband services across the country. Member of the National Assembly, Engr. Rana Atiq stressed that IT infrastructure should be expanded beyond major cities like Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, highlighting connectivity challenges in smaller towns.

Responding to the complaints, Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Sheza Fatima said the ongoing service issues are largely due to spectrum congestion. “The entire country is currently running on just 274 MHz of spectrum. Without sufficient spectrum, adding more towers will not solve the problem,” she explained.

Fatima further revealed that the spectrum auction has been delayed due to ongoing court cases, which have made the issue legally contentious. She added that an international consultant has been engaged to guide the process and that the government aims to hold the spectrum auction by December or January.

Chairman Aminul Haque directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to appear before the committee in its next session to explain the reasons behind the persistently poor signal coverage across the country.

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