KARACHI: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) said that it began the restoration of its services after a fault in its fibre optic cables caused massive, hours-long disruption, of internet and cellular services in parts of the country.
PTCL suffered a network major outage, resulting in the disruption of internet and cellular services in Sindh, Balochistan and parts of Punjab.
We are currently facing major outage on our network due to which internet service to some of our customers is impacted. #PTCL
(1 of 2)— PTCL (@PTCLOfficial) December 26, 2016
Thousands of subscribers were virtually unable to use internet or their cell phones for nearly five hours, disconnecting them from the world.
Due to the disruption, PTCL landline, internet and cellular services were suspended in Sindh and Balochistan, while subscribers in other parts of the country experienced scrambled services and delays.
PTCL’s fibre optic cables were damaged in Othal, Hub, Khuzdar and Sorab areas of Balochistan. The cable was also affected in Karachi’s Gulshan e Hadeed and Nooriabad areas. PTCL officials, however, repaired the cables after five hours of efforts and began restoring services.
#PTCL services are being restored. Thank you for your patience and inconvenience is regretted.
— PTCL (@PTCLOfficial) December 26, 2016
Meanwhile, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said the restoration of PTCL cables has begun. “The services were disrupted after PTCL fibre optic cables were slashed,” a PTA spokesman said. Investigations to identify the reasons behind the cutting were underway.
