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Aftab Maken
ISLAMABAD: Emergency maintenance on a key undersea cable begins today, expected to cause nationwide slowdowns for up to 18 hours, according to PTCL and Nayatel.
Pakistan’s two major internet service providers, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and Nayatel, have announced scheduled emergency maintenance on a critical submarine cable that connects the country to international data networks. The maintenance work, set to begin at 11 a.m. PST on October 14, 2025, is expected to last up to 18 hours, potentially causing slower internet speeds and intermittent connectivity across the country.
According to a joint statement from PTCL and the international cable consortium overseeing the operation, the maintenance involves repairing a faulty repeater unit in one of the undersea cable segments. The malfunctioning repeater, which helps amplify data signals along long stretches of cable, has caused partial degradation of data transfer rates between Pakistan and key international routing hubs in Europe and the Middle East.
“Users may experience slower browsing speeds or temporary service interruptions during the repair window,” PTCL’s spokesperson said. “Our technical teams are working closely with the consortium to minimize impact through alternative routing where possible.”
The affected cable is one of several that connect Pakistan’s coastline to the global internet grid through the SEA-ME-WE and AAE-1 systems. These submarine cables carry a majority of Pakistan’s international bandwidth. When one system undergoes maintenance or faces damage, data traffic is rerouted through the remaining cables — often causing congestion and reduced performance.
While PTCL has reassured customers that domestic internet traffic and local data centers will remain functional, most international web traffic — including video conferencing, streaming platforms like YouTube and Netflix, and cloud-based services — will likely face disruptions. Nayatel also issued an advisory to its users, warning that high-bandwidth activities such as online gaming and HD streaming may experience buffering or delays throughout the maintenance period.
Industry experts say this kind of undersea cable repair is technically complex and time-sensitive. It requires specialized ships to locate and retrieve the affected cable segment from the seabed, often thousands of meters below the surface. Technicians then replace or repair the faulty repeater module before re-deploying the line. “Even with modern technology, these repairs are delicate and heavily dependent on weather and sea conditions,” said a telecommunications engineer familiar with the process.
This is not the first time Pakistan has faced nationwide internet disruptions due to submarine cable maintenance. Similar issues were reported in 2021, 2022, and 2023, when undersea cables developed faults off the coast of Karachi and Fujairah, slowing down international traffic for days. At the time, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed that the problem stemmed from faults in the SEA-ME-WE 5 and AAE-1 cables, which carry a substantial portion of the country’s data traffic.
Public response to the latest announcement has been swift. On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), users have expressed frustration, with some speculating about the timing of the maintenance. “Always right before the weekend,” one user wrote, while another commented, “They say maintenance, but it feels like throttling every few months.”
However, PTCL and Nayatel have both dismissed such claims, emphasizing that the current maintenance is part of a scheduled operation under the international cable consortium’s routine program. “It’s not a shutdown or throttling — it’s an essential technical repair,” a PTCL official said, noting that avoiding such maintenance could lead to larger and longer-term connectivity issues.
To mitigate the impact, ISPs are diverting portions of data traffic through unaffected international routes, including the IMEWE and TWA cables. Still, experts warn that total available bandwidth will remain limited until the faulty segment is restored. Corporate clients, especially those relying on real-time cloud applications and international video meetings, may experience degraded performance during the maintenance window.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has advised users to plan ahead and limit nonessential online activities during the maintenance period. “We expect full restoration by early morning on October 15, barring any unforeseen complications,” the regulator stated.
Submarine cable faults and maintenance have become recurring reminders of Pakistan’s dependence on a handful of international data routes. Analysts have repeatedly called for investment in diversified connectivity infrastructure, including terrestrial fiber links to China and Central Asia, to reduce reliance on coastal landing stations.
Once the repeater replacement is completed and tested, traffic will gradually be rerouted back through the repaired system. PTCL has assured customers that regular updates will be shared via official social media channels and helplines as progress continues.
The ongoing maintenance underscores both the fragility and the critical importance of undersea cables in sustaining Pakistan’s digital economy — where even a few hours of slowdown can impact businesses, streaming platforms, and millions of connected users across the country.
