Overview
- The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said the SMW5 submarine cable is fully operational and internet services across the country were restored on Friday.
- The disruption began after a technical fault that first produced widespread slow browsing and interrupted video calls in multiple cities, with reports spiking on Downdetector.
- Transworld Associates sent SMS alerts to customers and worked with the SMW5 Consortium while technicians rerouted traffic through alternate international links to keep services running.
- PTA and TWA said they will continue joint monitoring, have requested formal reports from the consortium, and will investigate the fault to determine its root cause and estimated time to restoration procedures.
- The incident highlights Pakistan’s dependence on a few undersea cables for international traffic and points to the recently landed SMW6 as a longer-term option to add capacity and resilience.