ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s telecom authority reiterated on Wednesday that faults in two international undersea Internet cables are to blame for slow Internet across the country, saying that one of them is likely to be repaired by early October. 

Internet disruptions over the past few weeks have affected millions of Pakistani users, adversely affected businesses and drawn nationwide complaints. Pakistan has 110 million Internet users, and up to 40 percent slower Internet speeds have affected nearly half the country’s 241 million population.

Digital rights experts say the government’s move to install a firewall to monitor and regulate content and social media platforms has caused the Internet to slow down. Pakistani authorities have rejected the allegations and said a faulty undersea cable had caused slower Internet connections.

“The ongoing Internet slowdown across the country is mainly due to fault in two (SMW4, AAE-1) of the seven international submarine cables connecting Pakistan internationally,” the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said in a message. 

“It is updated that fault in SMW-4 submarine cable is likely to be repaired by early October 2024,” the authority added. “Whereas submarine cable AAE-1 has been repaired which may improve Internet experience.”

Pakistan’s IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja has repeatedly rejected reports that the government was responsible for slowing or shutting down the Internet, attributing it instead to the widespread use of virtual private networks (VPNs) amid a ban on social media platform X since February. 

Separately, a petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court against the nationwide Internet shutdowns, seeking responses from the government and the PTA. Pakistan says submarine cable fault responsible for slow Internet to be repaired by October