Internet users across Pakistan may experience slower speeds and service disruptions over the coming week as PTCL begins repair work on an international submarine cable system.

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has announced that maintenance and repair operations on one of its submarine internet cables will take place from May 11 to May 18, potentially affecting internet performance nationwide.

According to the company, the repair work is being carried out in coordination with an international cable consortium, with users likely to face degraded internet speeds, particularly during peak evening hours when traffic demand is highest.

Submarine fiber-optic cables form the backbone of Pakistan’s global internet connectivity, carrying the majority of the country’s international internet traffic. Industry reports indicate that Pakistan currently relies on multiple undersea cable systems operated by PTCL, Transworld Associates and Cybernet to maintain international bandwidth and network redundancy.

While PTCL has assured customers that backup arrangements and traffic rerouting measures are in place, temporary slowdowns and intermittent disruptions may still occur during the maintenance window. Similar cable maintenance operations in recent months have also resulted in reduced browsing speeds and higher latency across the country.

The latest warning comes at a crucial time for Pakistan’s digital ecosystem, as internet usage continues to surge due to remote work, streaming services, online education and the early rollout of 5G services by telecom operators.

Experts say undersea cable repairs are a routine but critical part of maintaining global internet infrastructure. Most faults are caused by shipping activity, fishing operations or technical wear rather than deliberate outages, though even temporary disruptions can significantly impact countries heavily dependent on submarine connectivity.

PTCL has not publicly disclosed the exact cable system or fault location involved in the current maintenance operation, but advised businesses and heavy internet users to expect fluctuations in service quality until repairs are completed next week.