Pakistan to experience major internet slowdown

September 6, 2025 (MLN): Internet users across Pakistan may experience significant service disruptions, including slower speeds and connectivity issues, especially during peak evening hours, after two major international submarine cables were damaged in Saudi waters.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) confirmed on Saturday that faults have occurred in the South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) and India-Middle East-Western Europe ( IMEWE) undersea communication cables near Jeddah, a critical chokepoint for international data traffic.

The damage has impacted a portion of Pakistan's total internet bandwidth, leading to potential congestion on the network as demand for data rises.

While the internet is not expected to shut down completely, the reduction in available data capacity means users are likely to face:

• Slower Browsing: Websites, particularly international ones, may take longer to load.

• Video Buffering: Streaming services like YouTube, Netflix, and others could experience frequent buffering and lower video quality.

• Lag in Online Gaming: Gamers may notice higher latency or "ping," leading to a laggy and frustrating experience.

• Poor Quality Calls: Video and voice calls on apps like WhatsApp, Zoom, and Skype may suffer from dropped connections and poor audio/video quality.

The impact will be most noticeable during peak hours, typically from 7 PM to 11 PM, when residential internet usage is at its highest.

What's Being Done?

PTCL, which manages a significant portion of the country's internet infrastructure, has acknowledged the issue and is working to minimize the impact on consumers.

In a statement, a PTCL spokesperson said, "The incident has affected partial bandwidth capacity on the SMW4 and IMEWE systems. Our international partners are working on a priority to resolve the issue, while our local teams are actively arranging alternative bandwidth to minimise the impact."

This "alternative bandwidth" involves rerouting internet traffic through other submarine cables that connect Pakistan to the global internet.

Pakistan has several other undersea cables, including AAE-1 and SEA-ME-WE 5, which are now handling additional data loads to keep services running.

Submarine cables are the backbone of the modern internet, carrying over 95% of all international data. However, they are vulnerable to damage from ship anchors, fishing activities, and natural underwater events.

The location of the current cuts near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is particularly problematic as it is a major convergence point for cables connecting Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

This recurring issue is due to Pakistan's reliance on these undersea arteries for digital connectivity.

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