ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology has warned internet users in Pakistan that social media services, including WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram may be disrupted due to “technical problems”.
Explaining the “technical issues,” the ministry said in a statement released on Thursday that the undersea cable had failed.
The ministry’s statement contradicts a statement issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on January 4. The agency announced that the damaged undersea cable has been repaired and there is currently no disruption Internet service anywhere in the country.
The telecommunications regulatory agency, under the Ministry of IT, said the AAE-1 underground cable breakage incident was temporarily managed by arranging additional bandwidth that had been integrated into the system.
The ministry also mentioned arranging additional bandwidth, however, it maintained that the underground cable fault persists as users may experience slowdowns on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram during peak hours.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blamed the growing use of VPNs for the recent internet slowdown in the country.
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According to the PTA report, VPN traffic has contributed to internet disruptions and can lead to foreign exchange loss due to increased bandwidth consumption. The report says each megabyte of VPN usage costs about a dollar.
The report further notes that VPN usage has increased due to internet disruptions, leading to bypassing of local Content Delivery Networks (CDNs). About 70% of internet traffic in Pakistan is delivered through CDN.
It may be noted here that authorities often blame submarine cable failures for internet disruptions in the country, making it meme material for social media enthusiasts.
They even brought in Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who recently criticized the PML-N government for slow Internet speeds, wondering why sharks only cut Pakistan’s Internet cables.
He pointed out that the PML-N focuses on building roads and highways while “the infrastructure our generation needs is digitalization and fast Internet.”