Pakistan’s internet back to normal after yet another fault on SEA-ME-WE 5
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The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced on Friday that international connectivity services on the SEA-ME-WE 5 subsea cable system have been fully restored following a fault on the cable a day earlier.
In a statement on Friday, the PTA said the unspecified fault has been rectified, and that SEA-ME-WE 5 “is now fully operational, and internet services across Pakistan have been restored to normal operating capacity.”
The PTA also said internet traffic was rerouted through alternate international links during the repair time “to mitigate the impact on users and maintain service continuity to the maximum extent possible.”
The regulator added that it maintained close coordination with Transworld Associates (TWA) – a stakeholder in SEA-ME-WE 5 – during the repair process to identify the root cause of the fault, which has not been disclosed.
The PTA had previously revealed the fault in an announcement on Thursday, warning that internet services for some users would be disrupted until the problem was identified and fixed.
SEA-ME-WE 5 is one of only two systems providing international subsea connectivity to Pakistan, along with SEA-ME-WE-4. However, the latter only provides 800 Gbps of capacity, compared to roughly 1.7 Tbps on SEA-ME-WE 5.
The SEA-ME-WE 5 link between Singapore and Kuakata has experienced several problems over the last couple of years, starting in 2024 and as recently as this past April, disrupting internet services each time, and underscoring the need for Bangladesh to install more international capacity.
State-owned Bangladesh Submarine Cables (BSCPLC) – which is a stakeholder in both subsea cables – is also a member of the SEA-ME-WE 6 cable consortium, but that system’s ready-for-service date has been pushed back to 2027.
The Bangladesh Private Cable System (BPCS) consortium announced plans in September 2024 to construct a privately-owned subsea cable connecting Cox’s Bazar to the Campana-owned UMO subsea cable that runs from Myanmar to Singapore, giving the country another 45 Tbps of capacity.
In December last year, BPCS contracted Nokia to supply submarine line terminal equipment for the project, which is tentatively slated to be ready for service in the second half of this year.
