ISLAMABAD, September 6, 2025 – Internet users across Pakistan could face connectivity issues after submarine cable cuts were reported in Saudi waters near Jeddah, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) confirmed on Saturday.
According to PTCL, the damage has partially affected bandwidth capacity on two major undersea systems SMW4 and IMEWE which play a vital role in linking Pakistan to the global internet.
In its statement, the company said international partners have already begun work to restore the affected connections, while local teams are arranging alternative bandwidth to ease the strain. “We sincerely appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding during this time,” the statement added.
Monitoring site Downdetector showed a surge in user complaints on Saturday morning, with disruptions gradually building overnight before spiking around 9am. At 10:09am, at least 16 outage reports were logged, reflecting the growing impact on users nationwide. The development comes months after the Africa-1 submarine cable was linked to Pakistan’s internet network. The 10,000-kilometre-long cable, designed to provide high-capacity transmission, connects the country with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and France. The $59.5 million project, approved by PTCL’s board in late 2020, is scheduled to be fully operational by the first quarter of 2026.
