The Pakistan Telecommunications Limited (PTCL) has given hope to its customers regarding the resolution of complaints related to connectivity issues, but it did not give a specific timeframe.

“We expect complete resolution over the next few days,” it said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

Throughout 2024, internet users across Pakistan have reported sluggish internet speeds and difficulties accessing various services.

On January 3, PTCL claimed that teams are working “diligently” to address the disruptions caused by a fault in the AAE-1 cable, which has negatively impacted network speeds in the country.

The next day, State IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said that approximately 80 per cent of the bandwidth shortfall resulting from the cable fault had been restored, as traffic was redirected to two alternative cables.

While sharing the update on the AAE-1 submarine cable issue, the PTCL said that to mitigate the impact, the national company added additional bandwidth which has “majorly resolved” the internet slowness issue.

But it added that the slowness might be experienced on Meta-related services (WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram) during peak hours.

“PTA and PTCL are working diligently to ensure the earliest possible resolution,” it said.

In the latter half of 2024, users in Pakistan frequently faced slow internet speeds, challenges in downloading media on WhatsApp, and inconsistent connectivity.

Digital analysts noted that the government had been testing a “firewall” to monitor certain platforms and restrict access to specific content. While the government denied throttling internet services, it stated that it was upgrading a ‘web management system’ to improve cybersecurity.

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A recent report by Top10VPN.com, an independent VPN reviewer, highlighted that Pakistan experienced the highest financial losses globally due to internet outages and social media app shutdowns last year, amounting to a staggering $1.62 billion in total economic impact.

Earlier this week, digital rights activist Usama Khilji slammed the government for the internet shutdown, saying that it would not be able to achieve its target of trillion-dollar information technology exports if such actions are taken.

“This joke about the internet being good won’t last long,” he said while appearing on the Aaj News programme Spotlight with Munizae Jahangir on Tuesday.