ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) on Monday stated that internet users across the South Asian country may experience slower speeds or partial disruptions on Tuesday due to scheduled maintenance work on one of its submarine cables.
In a customer advisory issued on Monday, PTCL stated that an international cable consortium will conduct maintenance on a faulty repeater within the undersea cable system.
“The activity will start on October 14 at around 11 a.m. Pakistan Standard Time (PST) and may last for up to 18 hours,” the company stated. “During this period, customers will face Internet service degradation. We regret the inconvenience.”
The company added that internet traffic would be rerouted through alternate systems to minimise disruption, though users may still experience temporary slowdowns or latency issues until maintenance is completed.
Dear Customers,
A maintenance activity is planned on one of our Submarine cables to repair a faulty repeater. The activity will start on October 14, 2025 around 11AM PST which can last for upto 18 hours. Customers will face service degradation. We regret the inconvenience please
— PTCL (@PTCLOfficial) October 13, 2025
Pakistan’s Connectivity Challenges
Pakistan’s international internet connectivity depends on multiple submarine cables operated by various global consortia. Any fault or maintenance activity in one of these systems can temporarily reduce the country’s overall bandwidth capacity.
In recent months, Pakistan has faced repeated internet slowdowns due to cable faults and local outages. In January, PTCL reported disruptions after a fault in the AAE-1 subsea cable, which connects Pakistan to global internet networks.
Last month, PTCL also warned of potential slowdowns after damage was reported to submarine cables in the waters.
Authorities have pledged to strengthen Pakistan’s internet infrastructure and resilience to cable faults. The government has announced plans to roll out 5G services in the country as part of efforts to enhance digital connectivity and network capacity.
