ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology has warned internet users in Pakistan that social media services, including WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram may experience disruptions due to “technical issues”.
Explaining the “technical issues”, the ministry said in a statement issued on Thursday that the submarine cable has undergone a fault.
The ministry’s statement contradicts the claims made by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Jan 4. It announcing that the damaged submarine cable has been fixed and there is currently no internet service disruption anywhere in the country.
The telecommunication regulator, which operates under the IT ministry, said that the disruption in the AAE-1 submarine cable has been temporarily managed by arranging additional bandwidth, which has been integrated into the system.
The ministry also mentioned the arrangement of additional bandwidth, however, it maintained that the submarine cable fault persists due to which users may face slowdowns on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram during peak hours.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blamed increased usage of VPN for the recent internet slowdown in the country.
Also Read: UAE imposes stricter visa rules for Pakistani nationals
According to PTA’s report, VPN traffic has contributed to internet disruptions and could lead to a loss of foreign exchange due to increased bandwidth consumption. The report stated that each megabyte of VPN usage costs approximately one dollar.
The report further noted that VPN usage has surged due to internet disruptions, leading to the bypassing of local Content Delivery Networks (CDNs). Around 70% of internet traffic in Pakistan is delivered through CDNs.
It may be noted here that the authorities often blame submarine cable fault for internet disruptions in the country, making it a meme material for social media enthusiast.
Even they get Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on the bandwagon, who recently blasted the PML-N government for the slow internet speed, wondering why shark only cuts Pakistan’s internet cable.
He pointed out that PML-N is focused on building roads and motorways while “the infrastructure our generation needs is digitalisation, and fast internet”.