Damaged undersea internet cable causes service disruption

KARACHI: A cut to an optical fibre submarine communications cable system carrying telecommunications between South East Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe has slowed internet services in Pakistan, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said.

The error in SEA-ME-WE 4 line affected the internet speed in Pakistan by 1 TB at least.

The regulator has begun work to shift internet traffic to other cables. The error is expected to slow down the service during peak work hours.

The repair work will be completed in January, reports citing people familiar with the development said.

South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 is an optical fibre submarine communications cable system that carries telecommunications between Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Italy, Tunisia, Algeria and France.