Preparations begin for linking country to new undersea internet cable system

While Pakistan on Tuesday technically disconnected SMW-3 undersea cable, the oldest submarine internet network, at the same time it linked its nodes with the landing station of the new Africa-2 cable network. The new system will be online by the end of next year. The SMW (South Asia-Middle East-West Asia) cable network, the oldest as well as longest in the world, was commissioned in September 1999. It runs a total length of 39,000 kilometres. Pakistan has now started preparations for getting connected to the new 45,000km cable system, AAE-2 (Africa, Asia and Europe). It will cover 33 countries in three continents.