ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s telecom regulator said on Saturday it had arranged temporary bandwidth to address degraded Internet services caused by a fault in the Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) submarine cable, ensuring Internet stability across the country.
The AAE-1 cable is one of seven international undersea cables connecting Pakistan to the global Internet. Disruptions in these cables can significantly impact Internet performance, affecting individual users and businesses reliant on stable connectivity for daily operations.
“The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announces that to address the issue of degradation of Internet services due to fault in AAE1 submarine cable on January 2, 2025, ad hoc bandwidth has been arranged and added in the system,” the PTA said in a statement. “Now there is no degradation of Internet services across the country.”
The telecom regulator added it was actively monitoring restoration efforts for the AAE-1 cable and remained committed to ensuring stable services throughout the process.
The fault comes amid growing scrutiny of the Pakistan government’s handling of Internet and social media policies.
Following the February 2024 general elections, marred by allegations of irregularities, the government faced severe backlash over a ban on X, formerly known as Twitter. Local media also reported the government’s decision to establish an Internet firewall aimed at controlling “anti-state propaganda” and content deemed blasphemous, stirring further controversy.
Freelancers and businesses were also instructed later in the year to register VPNs to access online platforms, prompting public outrage, though the government extended the compliance deadline indefinitely since only a fraction of users had adhered to the directive.
Digital rights activists and political rivals accused the government of using these measures to suppress dissent, with a coalition partner, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), also voicing concerns.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari criticized the government for Internet slowdown, questioning why submarine cable faults always disproportionately affected Pakistan.
Pakistan arranges temporary bandwidth to counter Internet slowdown amid submarine cable fault
https://arab.news/4v97d
Pakistan arranges temporary bandwidth to counter Internet slowdown amid submarine cable fault
- The country’s telecom regulator says there is no Internet service degradation is in the country currently
- Digital rights activists say government trying to suppress dissenting voices by minimizing online access
Pakistan says Azerbaijan’s SOCAR to finalize oil and gas investment next month
- SOCAR signals February decision after Davos talks, citing Pakistan’s reform momentum
- Existing LNG, fuel supply ties point to deeper Azerbaijan-Pakistan energy cooperation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s finance ministry said on Thursday Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR is set to finalize an investment in Pakistan’s oil and gas sector next month, following high-level engagements on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The announcement came after a business roundtable chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, where SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf told Pakistani officials the company viewed Pakistan as a long-term energy partner, according to a statement from the finance ministry.
Pakistan has been seeking fresh foreign investment into its energy sector as part of broader economic reforms aimed at stabilizing supply, reducing costs and improving contractual transparency. The oil and gas sector, alongside mining and minerals, has been identified by Islamabad as central to energy security and industrial growth.
SOCAR already has a commercial footprint in Pakistan through SOCAR Trading, which supplies liquefied natural gas under a government-to-government framework with Pakistan LNG Limited. Under the arrangement, SOCAR can supply up to one LNG cargo per month without take-or-pay obligations, giving Pakistan greater flexibility in managing demand and pricing. The agreement has been extended into 2025, reflecting continued cooperation.
“SOCAR views Pakistan as a natural long-term energy partner,” Najaf said, according to the finance ministry statement, citing Pakistan’s “market depth, growing energy demand, and ongoing reform momentum in the oil and gas sector.”
He also highlighted SOCAR’s engagement with Pakistan State Oil on petroleum product supply and expressed interest in expanding cooperation across the broader oil and gas value chain as reforms advance.
Welcoming the planned investment, Aurangzeb reiterated the government’s commitment to attracting “strategic and commercially viable investment” in energy, saying reforms were focused on improving pricing transparency, contractual clarity and risk-sharing mechanisms, according to the statement.
SOCAR is a major state-owned energy company operating in more than 20 countries, with a workforce exceeding 66,000 employees and reported revenues of about $50.6 billion in 2024, the ministry said.
Pakistan and Azerbaijan have been deepening economic ties in recent years, with energy cooperation emerging as a key pillar alongside trade and investment discussions. Officials say the expected SOCAR investment would mark a significant step in strengthening bilateral energy links.
