KARACHI — Pakistan’s digital economy is feeling the strain as recurring internet slowdowns continue to disrupt IT exports, e-commerce operations, and freelancing activity across the country. While internet service providers attribute the problem to undersea cable faults and backhaul issues, experts argue that weak network management and poor connectivity practices are compounding the crisis with serious implications for businesses that depend on seamless international communication.
Industries heavily reliant on consistent, high-speed internet including software and IT exports, e-commerce, fintech, banking, call centres, cloud-based startups, and content providers have reported growing operational hurdles. Many professionals working remotely or serving global clients say the instability has reached a point where it’s threatening productivity and profitability.
Saad Shah, CEO of Hexalyze, an IT export company, said the recurring outages have been “devastating” for ongoing projects. “A lot of our work depends on real-time collaboration and deployment. When connections drop mid-process, timelines suffer, and so do client relationships,” he said. “Some firms are even relocating technical staff to offshore offices, like Dubai, just to maintain consistent access.” Shah warned that the situation could derail Pakistan’s goal of achieving $5 billion in IT exports this fiscal year if not urgently addressed.
Freelancers and e-commerce traders are also bearing the brunt. The slowdowns are particularly noticeable between 7pm and 11pm peak hours for those working with clients in the U.S. and Europe. Online entrepreneur Tariq Ghouri said sellers on platforms like Amazon and eBay are facing heavy losses. “When uploads fail or transactions lag, customers lose trust. Some traders I know have temporarily moved abroad to keep their businesses running smoothly,” he said.
According to Umair Sani, an IT professional and trainer, the problem goes beyond bandwidth. “It’s about stability, not just speed,” he said. “Think of it like water flow even a narrow pipe works fine if the flow is steady. But if it keeps stopping, everything falls apart.”
Sani suggested that better local network setups could ease much of the frustration. “Most people rely entirely on Wi-Fi, which is shared among multiple users. I always use a wired Ethernet connection it makes a world of difference,” he explained. “Simple steps like avoiding overloaded routers and using cables for important work can drastically improve performance.”
He added that live communication like video meetings or online teaching is most sensitive to interruptions. “Messaging apps and email can sync later, but when you’re on a live call, even a few seconds of lag can break the flow.”
The freelancing community has also raised alarm over declining reliability. Ibrahim Amin, Chairman of the Pakistan Freelancers Association, said unstable internet has already hurt earnings. “These workers bring valuable foreign exchange into Pakistan. Every outage costs them income and costs the country as well,” he noted. Students enrolled in online learning programmes are facing similar setbacks, with classes and exams frequently disrupted.
Meanwhile, Shahzad Arshad, Chairman of the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan, explained that much of the current slowdown stems from undersea cable maintenance and domestic infrastructure bottlenecks. “Temporary fixes can restore partial capacity, but complete repairs often take weeks,” he said. “It requires coordination between multiple international cable systems and specialised repair vessels.”
Industry insiders fear that without a stronger focus on digital infrastructure and smarter network management, Pakistan’s growing online economy could lose momentum. For a country betting on IT exports and digital entrepreneurship, unreliable internet is more than a technical issue it’s a roadblock to progress.
