Unews World
KARACHI: In a positive development for Pakistani netizens who have been plagued by intermittent internet issues in recent times, the Africa-1 submarine cable has been connected to the country’s internet infrastructure.
The 10,000 kilometre-long internet cable with high data transmission capacity — linking Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and France — has been connected to the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) exchange.
The PTCL announced this milestone in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange, highlighting a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday to officially connect to the high-capacity cable.
“The groundbreaking celebration for connecting to the high-capacity Africa-1 submarine cable is set for February 22, 2025, at Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited’s (PTCL) landing site at Sea View, Karachi,” the notification read.
“This marks a transformative milestone in advancing Pakistan’s digital connectivity.”
The investment for the Africa-1 initiative was approved by the PTCL’s Board of Directors in November 2020, amounting to $59.5 million.
“This project aims to establish connectivity between the UAE, Europe, and Africa, with multiple landing stations along the route,” the notice added.
PTCL disclosed that it began investing in the project as part of its capital expenditure (CAPEX) starting in 2021 while noting that “by 2025, approximately 75% of the total investment will have been completed over four years, with the expectation of reaching the full project cost within the year”.
According to PTCL, the project is expected to be Ready for Service (RFS) by the first quarter of 2026.
Once it is operational, the Africa-1 submarine cable will enable PTCL to generate revenue from the project, contributing positively to the company’s top-line growth.
All of these developments come amidst frequent internet disruptions in the country.
Last month, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (r) Hafeez Ur Rehman informed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication that four new submarine cables were being introduced to enhance the country’s internet performance.
