On Jan 23, thousands of mobile phone towers across Pakistan went offline as a result of statewide power outage. This raised the possibility of a communications blackout in some areas. Around 40,000 communications towers are already being affected by the disturbance.
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Why it happened:
Most of Pakistan’s rural and some urban areas lost phone and internet connections as a result of fuel shortage as well as other technical issues. All four telecom companies – Jazz, Telenor, Zong4G, and Ufone – conducted a ‘firefighting drill’ in response but the scenario favored lack of connectivity around 4:00 p.m.
Pakistan’s national telecom regulator, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority stated on Twitter that consumers will face hiatus in delivery service throughout the day.
Major telecom companies of Pakistan also announced the issue they are facing, and thanked their customers for ‘staying patient.’ They also stated how they are running their operations on backup power supply.
While the PTCL fixed line service provider’s technology, which transmits voice and data service, also depends on power.
What you need to know:
These cell sites are powered by electricity and have backup generators. However the average running time of the generators at each location is only eight hours. This led to a situation similar to a digital blackout being apparent after 4 pm in the majority of the distant areas.
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