Submarine cable damage may disrupt internet services across country, warns PTCL
Technology
Submarine cable cuts near Jeddah have affected partial bandwidth capacity
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) on Saturday announced that internet services across the country may face disruptions during peak usage hours due to damage to undersea cables in Saudi waters.
In a statement shared on social media platform X, PTCL confirmed that submarine cable cuts near Jeddah have affected partial bandwidth capacity on two key international networks — SMW4 (South Asia-Middle East-West Asia) and IMEWE (India-Middle East-Western Europe).
“Internet users in Pakistan may experience some service degradation during peak hours,” the statement read.
— PTCL (@PTCLOfficial) September 6, 2025
PTCL assured that its international partners are working on a priority basis to repair the cables, while local teams are arranging alternate bandwidth routes to minimise the impact on users.
Internet services restored after fixing submarine cable fault: PTCL
However, the Ministry of Information Technology had not issued an official statement regarding the development.
It is not the first time that Pakistan has faced internet disruptions due to undersea cable faults.
In early 2024, users across the country reported widespread service issues. On January 3, PTCL acknowledged a fault in the AAE-1 (Asia-Africa-Europe-1) submarine cable, which slowed down internet speeds nationwide. Full restoration of services was announced nearly two weeks later.
The PTCL said that updates would be provided as repair efforts progress.
