ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) said on Sunday that internet users across Pakistan could experience slower connectivity and service degradation during scheduled maintenance work on one of its submarine cables between May 11 and May 18.
In a statement posted on X, PTCL said an “international cable consortium” would carry out repair work on a fault affecting one of the company’s undersea cables.
“A maintenance activity is planned on one of our submarine cables to repair a fault by the International Cable Consortium,” PTCL said in the statement.
“The activity will start on 11 May 2026 which can last till 18 May 2026.”
Important Notice 📢 pic.twitter.com/gPJBEI9toH
— PTCL (@PTCLOfficial) May 10, 2026
The company said internet services could be affected mainly during evening hours.
“During this period, customers may face internet service degradation during evening hours,” the statement said, adding: “We regret the inconvenience.”
PTCL manages three submarine optical fibre cable systems that provide international internet connectivity to Pakistan.
Faults and repair work on undersea cables have frequently disrupted internet services in the country in recent years.
The latest maintenance activity comes less than a month after PTCL carried out similar work from April 14 to April 20.
Pakistan has repeatedly faced connectivity issues linked to submarine cable faults, which affect internet speeds and international bandwidth availability.
According to a report by Top10VPN.com, Pakistan recorded the world’s highest financial losses from internet disruptions in 2023.
The maintenance announcement also comes as Pakistan’s telecom sector moves towards next-generation mobile services.
Last month, telecom operators began rolling out 5G services in selected areas after receiving spectrum licences during a ceremony in Islamabad attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Earlier in March, the government completed a spectrum auction that raised $507 million through the sale of 480 megahertz of spectrum.
Three telecom operators participated in bidding for the 2,600MHz band, regarded as a key frequency range for enabling commercial 5G services in the country.
