Pakistan has significantly enhanced its international internet capacity with the activation of the South-East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 6 (SEA-ME-WE 6) submarine cable system, the Ministry of Science and Technology announced on Saturday.
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In its statement, the ministry said the 19,200-kilometre high-capacity fibre-optic network links Pakistan to key digital hubs stretching from Singapore to France.
The new system, which offers a total capacity exceeding 100 terabits per second (Tbps), provides one of the fastest, lowest-latency routes between Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe. Pakistan has been allocated 13.2 Tbps under the project, with 4 Tbps activated immediately — a major upgrade expected to support cloud services, data centres, fintech, e-commerce and streaming platforms.
SEA-ME-WE 6 features more fibre pairs and more than double the capacity of earlier systems in the series, enhancing resilience across high-traffic Asia–Europe routes. The network also introduces geo-diversified paths through Egypt, improved fault protection, scalability, and reduced operational costs for participating providers.
Officials said the new cable strengthens global internet redundancy and adds a crucial layer to Pakistan’s digital infrastructure.
The ministry noted that this development follows the successful landing of the Africa-1 submarine cable by Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd in Karachi in February 2025.
