Internet users across Pakistan may experience slower speeds and intermittent connectivity as maintenance work will be carried out on one of the country’s main submarine cables, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited said.
According to a statement issued on Monday, a scheduled repair operation will begin at around 11 a.m. Pakistan Standard Time on Tuesday to repair a faulty repeater in the submarine cable system.
The activity is expected to last up to 18 hours, during which customers may experience service degradation or delays in international connectivity. “We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate our customers’ patience during this essential maintenance window,” a spokesperson for the telecom operator said.
Dear customers,
A maintenance activity is planned on one of our submarine cables to repair a faulty repeater. The activity will begin on October 14, 2025 at approximately 11:00 AM PST and can last up to 18 hours. Customers will experience a degradation of service. We regret the inconvenience please
– PTCL (@PTCLOfficial) October 13, 2025
The company said other arrangements have been made to minimize the impact, but users may still experience slower browsing speeds and intermittent access to some international websites during this period.
Telecommunications officials said normal service should resume once repeater repair and testing work is completed Tuesday evening or early Wednesday.
Submarine cables are a critical part of Pakistan’s internet infrastructure, carrying the vast majority of the country’s international traffic. Maintenance or faults in these cables often lead to nationwide connectivity issues.
Pakistan’s internet infrastructure relies on several international submarine cable systems, including SEA-ME-WE 4, SEA-ME-WE 5, IMEWE, AAE-1 and PEACE, which connect the country to global data centers in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Any disruption to any of these systems typically results in noticeable slowdowns, especially in video streaming, online gaming, and international calling services.
In recent years, Pakistan has faced several cases of internet disruptions due to faults in submarine cables, with significant slowdowns reported in 2021 and 2023 during similar maintenance work. The last operation is described as preventive, aimed at ensuring long-term network stability and preventing unexpected outages.
