Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja has confirmed that the widespread internet disruptions across Pakistan are linked to submarine cable damage near Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Addressing the issue on Monday, she stated that her ministry is in constant contact with Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) officials to monitor the situation. The minister acknowledged the impact of slow internet speeds on businesses and emphasized that detailed assessments are underway to determine the full extent of the disruption.
The confirmation follows PTCL’s earlier announcement that two major undersea cable systems, SMW4 and IMEWE, had been affected by cuts in Saudi waters. These cables are vital routes that connect Pakistan’s internet infrastructure to global networks, and damage to them has significantly reduced bandwidth capacity. PTCL explained that its teams had coordinated with international partners to work on urgent repairs, while also arranging alternative bandwidth sources locally to minimize the effect on users. Despite these measures, peak-hour disruptions have remained noticeable for both individual consumers and organizations reliant on stable connectivity.
The IT minister noted that while repair operations are being prioritized, no clear timeframe has yet been provided by international agencies responsible for restoring the cables. She underlined that the nature of the damage is still being reviewed, with technical evaluations ongoing. Industry experts highlight that such incidents are not uncommon, with ship anchors accounting for nearly 70 percent of submarine cable cuts worldwide. The Red Sea in particular is considered one of the most critical yet vulnerable corridors for global telecommunications, where challenging repair conditions often delay restoration timelines.
The impact of the outage has not been limited to Pakistan, as users across the Middle East, including in the UAE and other Gulf states, also reported slower connections. This underscores the regional significance of the cable systems running through the Red Sea. In March 2024, a similar disruption occurred when three submarine cables in the same area were damaged, leading to widespread issues for internet and cloud services across multiple countries. With global reliance on undersea cable infrastructure continuing to expand, experts stress the importance of robust monitoring, quicker response mechanisms, and diversified routing to prevent prolonged connectivity challenges in the future.
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