
An undated image of a WiFi router. — Pixabay
As Pakistan continues to grapple with internet and social media disruptions, the government has reportedly initiated the process of landing two additional submarine internet cables.
The establishment of more submarine internet cables was also suggested by State Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, stating that the government is willing to land four additional submarine internet cables within the next two years.
Reportedly being laid by a French company, one of the two cables is said to be 45,000 km long. On the other hand, the second cable has been linked at the moment but not activated, Geo News reported.
While Pakistan currently obtains eight terabytes (TB) of bandwidth with the help of its existing seven submarine internet cables, the second of the additional cables being installed possesses the potential to provide Pakistan with 24 TB bandwidth.
Including more submarine internet cables will result in high-quality internet nationwide, ensuring smoother access to social media platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram.
"This is the world's longest submarine internet cable," said Amiruddin, chief technical officer at Transworld.
"By the connection of additional submarine cables, Pakistan next year will observe the eradication of the internet crisis," said the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) chairman Sajjad Mustafa Syed while speaking to Geo Pakistan.
He added that alongside the rollout of 5G in the country, the addition of three to four more cables will set aside internet disruptions the following year.
With the IT ministry continuing its efforts to stabilise the IT sector and ensure high-quality internet nationwide, Khawaja last week claimed that internet quality improved in 2024 despite connectivity issues and social media restrictions.