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Pakistan to Get Two New Submarine Cable Systems Soon

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The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications, chaired by Syed Aminul Haque, convened on Tuesday to review nationwide internet connectivity issues, progress on the Islamabad IT Park, and the government’s ongoing efforts to expand digital infrastructure across Pakistan.

During the session, the committee was briefed on the persistent submarine cable fault near Yemen that has disrupted connectivity in the region. The committee also discussed plans for new submarine cables, with the IT Secretary confirming that two additional systems will be connected within the next 15 months.

Islamabad IT Park 80% Complete

Officials from the Ministry of IT briefed the committee on the Islamabad IT Park project, noting that 80% of the work has been completed. The Project Director stated that construction is progressing rapidly, although the official deadline of October 31 has already lapsed.

Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima said that despite multiple changes in Korean project directors over the past 18 months, work remains ongoing. “This project is being developed and financed by the Koreans,” she said, acknowledging repeated challenges faced during construction.

She confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an inquiry into the project’s delays, emphasizing that the government is seeking a middle ground to ensure completion. “If this project runs into further disputes, it will affect similar IT park projects planned for other cities,” she warned.

Shaza Fatima added that while there are legal implications if the Islamabad IT Park remains incomplete, efforts are being made to continue working with the Korean company. “Even if they withdraw, we have a backup plan,” she assured.

The minister requested that the media refrain from speculation until the project reaches completion, saying she had even proposed holding this session in camera due to ongoing legal sensitivities.

e-Rozgar Centers

Minister Shaza Fatima informed the committee that the IT Ministry is establishing Special Technology Parks across the country, including a women’s technology park recently launched in Bagh, Azad Kashmir. She said the ministry has already set up 50 e-Rozgar centers to provide co-working spaces for freelancers and young professionals.

She also highlighted key policy reforms, noting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had abolished Right of Way charges, which had been significantly higher in Pakistan than in other regional countries. The National Highway Authority (NHA), federal departments, and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) have all removed these charges, creating an ecosystem to support fiberization. “Our goal is to connect 60 percent of the country’s telecom towers with fiber,” she said.

Poor Mobile and Internet Service

Members of the committee expressed strong criticism over poor mobile and internet services, particularly in smaller towns. MNA Engineer Rana Atiq said that IT infrastructure should not be limited to Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, while MNA Zulfiqar Bhatti complained that his constituency has neither mobile signals nor internet access.

“Our entire focus is on just five or six cities. What about the rest of Pakistan? Don’t our children deserve the same access?” Bhatti asked emotionally, adding that government officials rarely address service complaints.

Shaza Fatima responded that the Universal Service Fund has conducted two surveys in those regions, but Rana Atiq said he did not trust the results. “They visit, conduct a survey, and always report that everything is fine,” he remarked.

The minister attributed the connectivity issues to spectrum congestion, noting that “the entire country is running on just 274 MHz.” She said that without additional spectrum, expanding tower infrastructure will make little difference.

She confirmed that the government aims to hold the next spectrum auction by January or February 2026, and that an international consultant has already submitted its report. However, she acknowledged that several spectrum-related cases are pending in court, delaying progress.

MNA Threatens to Leave Meetings

The session also saw tense moments as MNA Zulfiqar Bhatti clashed with Minister Shaza Fatima, expressing dissatisfaction with her responses. “There are no mobile signals in my home, and when I raise the issue, the minister scolds us,” he said, threatening to boycott future meetings.

Committee Chairman Aminul Haque intervened, requesting Bhatti to remain in the session, after which he withdrew his walkout attempt.

The committee also reviewed the agenda related to the sale and purchase of PTCL properties, which was moved to an in-camera session. Meanwhile, discussion on MNA Shahida Rehmani’s proposed Digital Media 2025 Bill, focusing on curbing obscenity on social media, was deferred due to her absence.

At the end of the session, the committee decided to summon the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to the next meeting for a detailed briefing on the country’s ongoing connectivity problems.



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15 New Apple iPhone 17 And iPhone 17 Pro Cases To Protect Your Phone

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Now that the latest iPhones are out, you may want a case to go with it. After all, although the price increases predicted didn’t properly materialize, the iPhone is a valuable piece of kit.

Before you ask, last year’s cases don’t fit, and anyway, do you really want a year-old case on your brand-new phone?

Here are a dozen of the newest releases, and they come in varying styles, from wraparound wallets to high-protection sleeves. Choose from leather, Apple’s new TechWoven or a transparent case to show off the colorful phone within. Unless otherwise stated, all cases here are available for iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Look out for whether the case has an open section where the Camera Control sits, or a cover that still allows the pressure-sensitive and capacitive control to work.

The deals highlighted in this post were independently selected by the Contributor and do not contain affiliate links.


Smooth Leather Case

Nomad Modern Leather Case with Horween Leather

$75 from nomadgoods.com

Camera Control: Cover

California-based Nomad makes a wide range of products, including iPhone cases and a just-released Apple Watch Band. Horween leather is one of the options for the back cover of the Modern Leather case, though other leather options are also available, and are $20 cheaper.

Horween leather, especially, gains a unique patina the more it is used. The case is strong enough to survive an eight-foot drop, the company says. The bumpers are 2.2mm thick and they rise above the display at the corners for further protection. The edges have a concave finish, designed for extra grip.


Slim Protection

Pitaka Aramid ProGuard Case

$59.99 from ipitaka.com

Camera Control: Cover

Protection on the Pitaka cases partly comes from cushioning on the rear corners and partly from what’s described as aerospace-grade aramid fiber. The back is textured, to add extra grip.

Unlike some cases which have dealt with the complex needs of the Camera Control capacitive button, Pitaka has developed a cover that’s slim but responsive when you press or slide your finger on it.


Fashion-Forward Protection

Beats Rugged MagSafe Case

$79 from beatsbydre.com

Camera Control: Cover

Beats, the other brand that Apple owns, has a case that doesn’t look rugged. Rugged usually means bulky but the choice of colors, such as Sierra orange makes this case more style-focused. If orange is too much for you, Everest black and rocky blue will suit quieter tastes.

There’s a big lip over the edge of the display designed to keep it safe. The bottom half of the case, including the back and edges, is rougher to make it stay in your hand, while the top half is completely smooth.


Transparent Protection

Mous Clarity MagSafe

$69.99 from mous.co



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Is The Mystery iPhone Update Nearly Here?

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More than a week ago, the news was clear: the next iPhone update (the content of which remains a mystery) would be iOS 26.0.2 and would land in the week beginning Oct. 20. But it’s nowhere to be seen. What’s happening, you might ask.

It’s not that there were no Apple software updates last week. Anyone who bought the new iPad Pro, which went on sale on Wednesday, Oct. 22 alongside the latest MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro, had to update to a new version of iPadOS. But that was iPadOS 26.0.1 and was a new build for the latest model only.

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The iOS 26.0.2 update (and presumably iPadOS 26.0.2 if needed) could have arrived on Thursday, Oct. 23 or Friday, Oct. 24 — several reports thought that was likely.

Since it didn’t, we’re now in different territory. The next big update, until the rumor of iOS 26.0.2 had reared its head, was thought to be iOS 26.1. That’s so far into beta that it’s thought the release candidate will be available on Monday, Oct. 27 or Tuesday, Oct 28, with the general release expected the week after.

There are two options, it seems. Either Apple will kill off iOS 26.0.2 before it sees the light of day and instead go straight to iOS 26.1 on or around Monday, Nov. 3, or iOS 26.0.2 will appear first.

Which really only leaves Monday, Oct. 27 or Tuesday, Oct. 28 as likely days for release.

It’s not known exactly what will be in iOS 26.0.2, though it’s thought to address bugs and flaws, not launch new features which will be part of iOS 26.1.

So the fate of iOS 26.0.2 may rest on how urgent those fixes are and which handsets they affect.

My guess is that we will almost certainly see iOS 26.0.2 on Tuesday, Oct. 28, a day after the release candidate for iOS 26.1. I’d further guess that the fixes will mostly affect the iPhone 17 series or iPhone Air rather than all models.

If there’s no sign of it then, it looks like iOS 26.1 will be the next update, likely on Monday, Nov. 3. Look at it this way, there will probably be a new iPhone update in the next eight days at most.

I’ll update this post as soon as there’s more news, so please check back.

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X Issues November 10 ‘Account Will Be Locked’ Twitter Security Warning

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Given the continuing popularity of Elon Musk’s X social network, and the swathing staffing cuts made when the world’s richest man bought what used to be (and still is in my mind) Twitter, it doesn’t make the cybersecurity headlines as much as you might have thought. With PayPal users currently warned of ongoing attacks, ditto WordPress website owners, and even LastPass password manager customers, all being in the threat actor crosshairs, this is a good thing. However, X users have now been warned that unless they make a change to a legacy Twitter security setting, they will be locked out of their accounts from November 10. Here’s what you need to know.

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The X Safety Team Issues Clarification After Warning Of Twitter Account Lockouts

Whatever you call it, X or Twitter, the social network isn’t immune to security threats. This year alone, I have reported on outages caused by a claimed DDoS attack and a warning for 650 million X users not to change their passwords. Sometimes, though, the perceived security threat comes from inside the building. Such was the case after the X safety team tweeted on October 24: “After November 10, if you haven’t re-enrolled a security key, your account will be locked until you: re-enroll; choose a different 2FA method; or elect not to use 2FA.”

This, rather unsurprisingly if you ask me, created a wave of concern amongst both ordinary users and security experts on the social media platform. One asked whether not using 2FA meant their account would remain active; another asked whether there had been a security breach; and another asked whether this only impacted passkey users?

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The confusion sat with X warning that “all accounts that use a security key as their two-factor authentication method to re-enroll their key to continue accessing X,” and adding that users could “re-enroll your existing security key, or enroll a new one.” A typical example of someone who knows what they are talking about but not how to communicate that in such a way to people who do not. Translating tech-speak into ordinary language is an essential skill and one that the X safety team appears to have misplaced on this occasion.

What X should have said, and ended up being forced into actually saying a day later, was: “To clarify: this change is not related to any security concern, and only impacts Yubikeys and passkeys – not other 2FA methods (such as authenticator apps). Security keys enrolled as a 2FA method are currently tied to the twitter.com domain. Re-enrolling your security key will associate them with x.com, allowing us to retire the Twitter domain. If this relates to you, you’ll be prompted automatically to re-enroll.”

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