Internet connectivity across Pakistan is gradually stabilizing following widespread disruptions caused by multiple global and regional outages earlier this week. Service providers have started rerouting data traffic through overland fiber networks from China in an effort to restore capacity and maintain stable performance across the country. Although some users have reported improved access, recovery remains uneven, with several regions still facing intermittent connectivity and slower speeds as technical teams continue to address underlying infrastructure faults.
According to industry experts, Pakistan’s internet disruption was linked to simultaneous issues in both global cloud infrastructure and submarine cable systems. The initial disruption began after Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a significant global outage, impacting several major applications, websites, and digital platforms that rely on AWS-hosted infrastructure. Since AWS provides the backbone for much of the world’s online services, the outage triggered cascading slowdowns and interruptions across multiple sectors, including social media, e-commerce, and business operations in Pakistan. The situation was further complicated when one of the country’s key undersea data routes, the PEACE submarine cable, sustained a major cut. The fault, located somewhere between the Red Sea and Europe, disrupted a substantial portion of Pakistan’s international bandwidth capacity. Experts noted that locating and repairing such faults can take several days as specialized vessels must be deployed to inspect and fix the damage.
Adding to the strain, another submarine cable system known as I ME WE, which connects Pakistan with India, the Middle East, and Western Europe, also went offline for Pakistan. The simultaneous disruption of both systems significantly affected network redundancy and international data flow, putting additional pressure on local service providers. Cybernet, one of Pakistan’s leading internet and network infrastructure companies, has been among the most impacted. The company operates a key submarine cable landing station and provides broadband, enterprise connectivity, and wholesale bandwidth services nationwide. According to data from outage monitoring platform Downdetector, Cybernet users reported a surge in connectivity complaints throughout the day, with several spikes observed between late morning and evening. Approximately 75 percent of these complaints were related to connectivity issues, 14 percent to complete service blackouts, and 11 percent to difficulties accessing specific websites.
To mitigate the disruption, service providers have begun rerouting traffic through alternative terrestrial fiber routes connecting Pakistan to China. This approach, while slower than undersea transmission, has helped restore partial connectivity and ensure that critical communication services remain operational. Industry observers noted that while the shift to overland links demonstrates the resilience of Pakistan’s internet infrastructure, it also underscores the need for greater diversification and redundancy in international bandwidth routes. Repair work on both the PEACE and I ME WE systems is expected to take time, depending on the extent and location of the faults. Until full restoration is achieved, users may continue to experience intermittent service quality and reduced speeds.
The recent outage has drawn attention to Pakistan’s dependence on a limited number of submarine cable systems for global connectivity. Experts suggest that ongoing investments in terrestrial networks and regional interconnections, such as the China route, can help minimize future disruptions. Despite the challenges, the gradual rerouting of traffic and coordinated efforts by local providers have allowed partial recovery, offering a measure of stability while technical teams work toward complete restoration of international bandwidth capacity.
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