ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Friday confirmed the restoration of the SMW5 International Submarine Cable System, which caused an interruption of internet service throughout the country.
“The submarine cable is now fully operational, and internet services across Pakistan have been restored to normal operating capacity,” the PTA said in a statement.
The telecom authority said that during this time, it maintained close coordination with Transworld Associates (TWA).
“During the restoration process, internet traffic was rerouted through alternate international links to mitigate the impact on users and maintain service continuity to the maximum extent possible,” it added.
“Its repair resolves the current Internet service issues for users who were impacted since Thursday night.”
The authority further said that it continues to closely monitor the “resilience and performance of Pakistan’s international connectivity infrastructure to ensure the reliable, secure, and uninterrupted provision of telecommunications and broadband services nationwide”.
Earlier on Thursday, the PTA said that the internet disruption currently reported across multiple cities in Pakistan is caused by a fault in the SMW5 international submarine cable system.
In a statement issued on social media, the telecom authority said that due to the fault in the submarine cable, some internet users may experience “intermittent degradation in service quality and connectivity”.
“Transworld Associate ( TWA) is coordinating with the SMW5 Consortium to identify the root cause of the fault and determine the estimated time for restoration (ETTR),” the PTA added.
The PTA further said that in the meantime, internet traffic is being rerouted through alternate international links to minimize the impact and ensure service continuity to the greatest extent possible.
