Pakistan Begins Preparations for Advanced Undersea Internet Cable System
Pakistan has officially disconnected the SMW-3 undersea cable, the world’s oldest submarine internet network, while simultaneously linking its infrastructure with the landing station of the new AAE-2 (Africa, Asia, and Europe) undersea cable.
Islamabad: Pakistan has officially disconnected the SMW-3 undersea cable, the world’s oldest submarine internet network, while simultaneously linking its infrastructure with the landing station of the new AAE-2 (Africa, Asia, and Europe) undersea cable.
The SMW-3 network, spanning 39,000 kilometers, was commissioned in 1999 and served as a vital internet backbone for over two decades. Now, the country is gearing up for the AAE-2 cable, a state-of-the-art 45,000-kilometer system covering 33 countries across three continents. The new system, leveraging cutting-edge SDM1 technology, has a total capacity of 180 terabytes per second (tbps), of which Pakistan has secured 1 tbps.
The AAE-2, owned by a consortium including Meta and Vodafone, is expected to go live by the end of 2025. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) lauded this development, terming it a "significant stride in enhancing international connectivity." The cable will land at Hawksbay, Karachi, with initial installation already underway as of December 1.
In addition to the AAE-2, Pakistan's internet infrastructure includes SMW-5, TWA-1, AAE-1, SMW-4, IMEWE, and PEACE cables, operated by Transworld Associates, PTCL, and Cyber Internet Services. These systems collectively provide 13 tbps of capacity, with a consumption rate of 7–8 tbps. By 2025, the addition of the AAE-2 is expected to increase capacity to 14 tbps, a much-needed upgrade given the country’s growing internet demand.
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