Faulty submarine cable near UAE that caused Internet disruption in Pakistan repaired

In this file photo, operators handle an undersea fiber optic cable at Arrietara beach near the Spanish Basque village of Sopelana on June 13, 2017. (AFP/File)

• Pakistan Telecommunications Authority says faulty part of cable would be “fully functional” soon
• Internet services were disrupted countrywide in February when cable developed fault near Abu Talat, Egypt

ISLAMABAD: A submarine cable fault reported yesterday, Monday, near the United Arab Emirates and which caused degradation in services across Pakistan has been repaired, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority said on Tuesday.
The authority announced on Twitter that the faulty cable would be “fully functional” soon.
“A submarine cable fault was reported yesterday near Fujairah, UAE due to which some users may have faced degradation in services,” PTA said. “The faulty cable segment has been repaired & work is underway to make the services fully functional.”
“PTA is monitoring the situation and will continue to update on it.”
The AAE-1, one of the six international submarine cables landing in Pakistan, had reportedly been cut, which disrupted Internet services across the country, with many users reporting slow connections.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), worked with the International Submarine Consortium, to restore services across the country.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers and will notify you as soon as the services are fully restored. Thank you for your patience,” a PTCL spokesperson said, without disclosing a timeline for complete restoration of services.
Internet services were also disrupted countrywide in February this year when one of the six international submarine cables developed a fault near Abu Talat, Egypt. The fault was later repaired by Trans World Associates, one of the two license holders for international landing stations of submarine cables.