Currently, Pakistan is going through a major internet slowdown, with the disruptions likely to take weeks. The PTA blamed these problems on faults in two out of the country’s seven submarine cables, which caused tens of millions of Pakistani users to be frustrated by sloth-like speeds and very intermittent connections.
The Root of the Problem
The problems at present faced by the people regarding the internet are the result of an injury to two critical submarine cables: the AAE-1 and SMW4. These two cables connect Pakistan globally with the world for high-speed internet access. The two, upon damage in their operation, mean that the entire internet infrastructure in the country is affected; hence, the current slow-down.
The AAE-1 cable, which hosts a considerable chunk of Pakistan’s internet traffic, is in the process of rerouting. PTA authorities have given an indication that the rerouting may get completed in the next couple of days, after which some ease for its subscribers may come about. The situation with the SMW4 cable is more complicated. Its repair is expected to take several more weeks, prolonging the overall disruption.
Impact on everyday life
For the last 21 days, Pakistanis have been striving to deal with the aftermath of crawling internet. Small and large-scale businesses that solely rely on the internet to conduct their operations, such as e-commerce websites, freelancers, digital advertisers, and marketers, bear the brunt of the devastation. The educational institutions that are under obligation to offer online classes find no easy way of delivering a coherent and smooth learning experience to their students. Even casual users of the internet find it difficult to stream a video, let alone make a video call or browse comfortably.
The slow speed being experienced is a real irritant and a serious problem in a world that is becoming increasingly dependent upon being digitally hooked. This, besides a host of other problems which were somehow normal, these infrastructural troubles are bound to hold back Pakistan in its digital transition.
When Will It Be Fixed?
That raises some hope for the internet to get better in the coming days, provided the SMW4 cable is fully repaired; full restoration then can be achieved. This, therefore, means that hundreds of thousands of users in the country will suffer for at least a few more weeks from agonizingly slow speeds and, in many cases, get disconnected.
As repairs go on, users are advised to be patient and plan their internet-related activities accordingly. PTA is coordinating with teams at the international level to expedite the process of repair as soon as possible, yet unless both cables are brought up totally, the quality of the internet experience in Pakistan will remain compromised.
In the process, communication and information from reliable sources will do some good. Even with the lagging speeds, it is important to secure real-time updates to be able to walk through these trying times.
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