No timeframe for resolution of internet problems: PTCL

Pakistan Telecommunications Limited (PTCL) on Thursday told Dawn.com that there is no exact timeframe for the resolution of slow internet connectivity or the repair of the Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) undersea internet cable.

Internet users across Pakistan complained of slow internet and hindered access to services throughout 2024.

On January 3, PTCL said teams were “diligently” working to resolve the matter of disruptions faced by users after a fault in the AAE-1 subsea internet cable connecting Pakistan slowed down the network speed in the country.

A day after that, IT minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said around 80 per cent of the bandwidth shortfall caused by the fault had been recovered as traffic had been shifted to two other cables.

In today’s statement, PTCL spokesperson Aamir Pasha said that to address the slowdown, PTCL “added additional bandwidth which has majorly resolved [the] internet slowness issue”.

However, the telecom operator stated that slow internet speed might still be experienced on Meta-owned services, such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, especially during peak hours.

“We expect complete resolution over the next few days,” the statement added, without giving an exact timeframe.

“PTA and PTCL are working diligently to ensure the earliest possible resolution.”

Speaking to Dawn.com, Pasha said that the bandwidth shortfall had “been addressed”.

Meanwhile, PTCL technical personnel said that problems of this nature take between two and three months to fix.

Pasha did not offer comment on this claim.