Hajra Naz
Internet users across Pakistan were hit with a major slowdown late Tuesday night, leaving many unable to load popular websites or facing constant timeouts. Social media feeds quickly filled with complaints, and outage trackers such as Downdetector reported a surge in reports from across the country.
In an official update, Nayatel confirmed the issue came from a fault in one of its upstream providers. The company said engineers were working on emergency fixes and set an estimated restoration time of 1:15 a.m.
This disruption comes at a difficult moment for Pakistan’s digital connectivity. Earlier this month, multiple undersea cable cuts were reported in the Red Sea, including damage to the SMW4 and IMEWE systems. These cables form part of the critical Asia-Europe corridor, which carries much of Pakistan’s internet traffic.
With cables down, traffic has been rerouted through longer paths, causing higher latency, slower broadband speeds, and unstable connections not only in Pakistan but also across the region.
Experts warn that repairs to undersea cables may take 4–5 weeks, meaning Pakistan may face recurring internet bottlenecks, especially during peak hours. This could affect businesses, students, remote workers, and the wider digital economy.
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What users can do during slowdowns?
For those struggling with access, specialists suggest a few temporary fixes:
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Use VPN servers located closer to Europe for slightly faster routing.
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Switch to alternative DNS settings such as Google DNS or Cloudflare DNS.
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Try using mobile data if fixed-line broadband is too unstable.
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Monitor live status updates on outage dashboards.
However, experts stress that these steps can only provide limited relief until upstream capacity is fully restored.
Pakistan has faced repeated internet outages in 2024 and 2025, raising concerns about the country’s reliance on fragile infrastructure and the urgent need to invest in resilient broadband systems. Businesses, e-commerce platforms, and freelancers who rely on global clients remain particularly vulnerable to these disruptions.
FAQs on Pakistan’s Internet Outage
1. Why is Pakistan’s internet so slow right now?
Because of multiple undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea and faults at upstream providers, traffic is being routed through longer paths, slowing speeds.
2. Which cables are affected?
The main ones are SMW4 (South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4) and IMEWE (India-Middle East-Western Europe).
3. How long will repairs take?
Officials say it may take 4–5 weeks to fully repair undersea cables. During this time, outages and slow speeds may continue.
4. Can VPNs or DNS changes fix the issue?
They may help a little by improving routing, but they can’t fully solve the problem until the core infrastructure is repaired.
5. How does this impact businesses and users?
It affects e-commerce, freelancers, streaming, banking apps, and remote work. Slower speeds can lead to delays, lost income, and reduced productivity.
