PTCL to Hold Groundbreaking Ceremony for Africa-1 Submarine Cable

ISLMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) is set to host a groundbreaking ceremony on February 22 to commemorate the landfall of the Africa-1 submarine cable at its designated landing site at Sea View, Karachi.

This major development marks a crucial step in enhancing Pakistan’s digital connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure.

The Africa 1 submarine cable will connect multiple countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, providing faster internet speeds and improved connectivity for Pakistan. Similarly, the Sea-Me-We 6 (SMW6) system will link Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, offering higher capacity and better latency for data-intensive services, ensuring enhanced network performance.

Industry experts suggest that increased bandwidth from these new cable systems may also support emerging technologies like 5G, IoT (Internet of Things), and cloud-based services, which require high-capacity networks.

PTCL has been allocating capital expenditures toward the Africa-1 submarine cable project since 2021, investing annually to support its completion.

As of 2025, approximately 75% of the total projected investment has been completed over four years, with full project funding expected to be finalized within the year.

According to PTCL’s filing on PSX, the project is on track to achieve its Ready for Service (RFS) status in Q1 2026.

Upon completion, the Africa-1 cable will become fully operational, allowing PTCL to monetize the investment and contribute positively to its revenue growth.

The Board of Directors had initially approved an investment of $59.5 million for the project in November 2020.