A total capacity of 26.5 terabits per second (Tbps) worth of international connectivity has been aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s infrastructure, the Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, told the National Assembly while giving a written reply.
This connectivity is being established by five submarine cable projects, namely AFRICA 1, managed by PTCL, capacity 6.5 Tbps; SMW6, managed by Transworld Associates (TWA), capacity 6 Tbps; 2AFRICA by TWA, capacity 10 Tbps; PEACE by LINKdotNET, capacity 2 Tbps; and Makran Gulf Gateway (MGG-1) by Cybernet, capacity 2 Tbps.
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A permit-in-principle (PIP) has also been granted for these cables. Among them, the 2AFRICA cable has already landed in Pakistan, while the others are still under plans.
According to Minister Shaza Fatima, there are proposals under way to boost satellite-based internet connectivity. Pakistan did not have direct-to-consumer satellite internet beforehand, as only the provisioning of bandwidth had previously been enabled by means of satellite networks. But the introduction of the National Space Policy in January 2024, as well as the Pakistan Space Activities Rules in February 2024, has cleared the way for an expansion of satellite services.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has opened consultations with industry players and government officials over the licensing of Fixed Satellite Services (FSS). The move seeks to offer satellite broadband connectivity to remote and unconnected areas. Additionally, PTA has also developed draft Single License terms for FSS, intending to regulate direct-to-consumer satellite broadband services. The draft, being considered by the stakeholders, seeks to permit operation via satellites while not upsetting WI and local loop (LL) license holders. The regulatory environment seeks to boost investment in satellite technology as well as offer connectivity to remote areas.
The Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) has also been charged with registration of local, as well as international, satellite service providers under Pakistan Space Activities Rules-2024. Starlink application, for providing internet through satellite across Pakistan, has also undergone technical examination by PSARB.
Once Starlink has completed registration with PSARB and has the Ministry of Interior approval, PTA shall issue the license. However, there is no time limit by when operational approval shall be issued, as the exercise by the regulator is still ongoing.
The government also has network security enhancements that are tasked with maximizing performance over the internet. Overuse of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) has also had an effect on Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), compelling them to reroute traffic, causing the slowdown of the internet. In efforts to reverse this, additional registration of VPNs has also been conducted to optimize routing of traffic and enhance Quality of Service (QoS). Besides, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have also proved to be one cause of network slowdowns, and work has also been underway by service providers to implement mitigations.
