Pakistan’s internet and telecom networks have been under growing strain in recent months, with repeated service disruptions, sharp spikes in outage complaints, and consistently low speed rankings compared to neighboring countries. From mobile users facing dropped calls and slow data to broadband subscribers struggling with unstable connections, the quality and reliability of internet access across the country have become a major concern for consumers and businesses alike.
Over the past few months, Pakistan has seen repeated max spikes across mobile operators and broadband ISPs, pointing to systemic stress on the country’s digital infrastructure.
Disturbances and Outage Spikes
In recent months, Downdetector and user complaint dashboards have shown repeated “max spikes ” and sudden surges in reports indicating serious disruptions on multiple networks. These spikes are not isolated to one provider but span across mobile operators and fixed broadband ISPs, illustrating widespread instability.
Three-Month Disruption Overview
| Month / Period | ISP / Network | Issue / Event | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Nov 2025 | PTCL & StormFiber | Outages | PTCL saw over 112 reports and StormFiber 59 reports at peak hours, disrupting connectivity, social platforms, and apps. |
| Sep 2025 | PTCL, Nayatel, StormFiber | Widespread Slowdowns | Users reported slow speeds and difficulty accessing services across multiple ISPs. |
| Oct 2025 | All Pakistan ISPs | Submarine Cable Maintenance | Maintenance on undersea cables (SMW4, IMEWE) potentially caused degraded connectivity or partial outages. |
| Ongoing / Past 3 Months | Multiple ISPs | Submarine Cable Faults | Faults in international cables affected backbone capacity, slowing performance and causing outages across providers. |
Common Patterns Observed
- Mobile outages and slowdowns are reported on Jazz, Zong, Ufone, and Telenor networks.
- Fiber and fixed broadband disturbances across PTCL, StormFiber, Nayatel, Transworld, Cybernet, and Connect Communications.
- Users across major cities reported an inability to access social platforms, cloud services, and basic internet functions.
These spikes often coincide with:
- upstream infrastructure issues
- submarine cable faults
- occasional government-imposed throttling during political events or unrest.
ISP-by-ISP Outage Experiences
Pakistan has faced recent internet disruptions across multiple ISPs, with users reporting slow connections, call drops, and unstable mobile and broadband services. Pakistan’s users rely on a mix of mobile networks and broadband internet service providers (ISPs). During the recent disturbance period, multiple networks showed significant issues:
Jazz
Jazz, one of the largest mobile networks in the country, saw a surge in user complaints reporting loss of mobile signal, frequent call drops, mobile data failing to connect or very slow speeds. Although official statements from the network described many reports as scattered, the volume of complaints across large urban areas indicated that the problems were widespread and not isolated to a few users.
Zong
While Zong generally maintained partial service, many subscribers experienced degraded data performance during peak hours of disturbance.
Transworld
Transworld customers, particularly those using fiber connections, experienced higher latency on international services, difficulty accessing overseas servers, and slow performance for gaming and streaming. Locally hosted services often remained accessible, but anything requiring international routes was noticeably impacted.
Nayatel
Nayatel, a fiber broadband provider known for its relatively stable performance, was previously affected by a longer outage tied to backbone issues. These complaints came from both residential and business customers.
PTCL
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) operates the largest fixed broadband and landline network in the country. Reports from PTCL users indicated congestion and instability that matched patterns seen on other networks.
Connect Communications
Connect Communications customers reported intermittent connectivity, routing instability and higher latency when accessing international platforms. Local browsing often worked reasonably well, but performance dropped when services required overseas links.
Cybernet
Cybernet, which serves both residential and enterprise users, showed VPN connection issues, cloud and business service access problems, and slower overall performance, particularly for business clients. This reflected pressures on upstream links affecting enterprise connectivity.
StormFiber
StormFiber users experienced slow browsing, interruptions in streaming and higher ping times on gaming servers. While local resources remained accessible, anything relying on international routes was significantly slower or unstable.
Firewall Monitoring Impacts
Pakistan’s government has introduced a national internet firewall and mandatory VPN registration, officially for cybersecurity. In practice, these measures have caused slowdowns, app disruptions like WhatsApp, and platform blocks (like X). Traffic throttling and content filtering, combined with weak network infrastructure, create frustration for users and professionals, making browsing, messaging, streaming, and remote work slower and less reliable.
VPN Registration Impacts
The government is launching mandatory VPN registration for businesses, remote workers, and other professional users. While intended to regulate secure access and enhance oversight, this initiative has caused connection delays, failed authentications, and session drops. Freelancers, remote workers, and IT professionals are particularly affected: slow VPN connections or blocked sessions can lead to missed deadlines, disrupted client work, and lost income.
Impact on Freelancers and Remote Workers
Freelancers and remote workers feel the brunt of these combined issues. Slow speeds, dropped connections, and VPN interruptions aren’t just inconvenient; they can directly affect income and reputation. Uploads fail, video calls freeze, and critical communication with clients is delayed. For digital professionals in Pakistan, every outage or slowdown adds frustration and makes it harder to compete globally, turning a reliable internet connection into a rare commodity rather than a standard utility.
Pakistan’s Internet Speeds vs Regional Neighbors
Despite having one of the largest internet user populations in the region, Pakistan’s internet performance remains among the slower tiers globally.
Average Speeds (Approximate)
Pakistan
- Mobile internet: ~20–25 Mbps
- Fixed broadband: ~15–18 Mbps
India
- Mobile internet: ~50+ Mbps
- Fixed broadband: ~55–60 Mbps
Bangladesh
- Mobile internet: ~30+ Mbps
- Fixed broadband: ~30–40 Mbps
Sri Lanka
- Mobile internet: ~40 Mbps
- Fixed broadband: ~40–50 Mbps
Malaysia
- Mobile internet: ~90+ Mbps
- Fixed broadband: ~100+ Mbps
UAE
- Mobile internet: ~200+ Mbps
- Fixed broadband: ~250+ Mbps
This shows that Pakistan lags significantly behind not only developed economies but also regional peers.
Economic and Social Impact
Slow and unreliable internet affects:
- Freelancers working with overseas clients
- IT exporters and startups
- Online education and remote work
- Digital payments and e-commerce
- Gaming, streaming, and entertainment platforms
Why Pakistan Lags Behind
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Few international cables | Nationwide impact from single faults |
| Weak backbone redundancy | Multiple ISPs fail together |
| Slow fiber & 5G rollout | Limited speed growth |
| Regulatory uncertainty | Slower investment |
| High demand, low capacity | Congestion & slowdowns |
| Economic constraints | Delayed upgrades |
Weak Backbone and Limited Redundancy
The domestic fiber network has insufficient backup routes. A single failure or routine maintenance can disrupt multiple ISPs at once, causing congestion and nationwide slowdowns rather than localized issues.
Slow Infrastructure Investment
Network upgrades are limited by high costs. Fiber rollout, backbone expansion, and data center development lag behind countries like India, Malaysia, and the UAE, restricting speed and capacity growth.
Delayed 5G and Technology Rollout
Pakistan is still in the early stages of 5G deployment. Heavy reliance on older 4G infrastructure leads to congestion, slower speeds, and higher latency for mobile users.
Lack of Modern Infrastructure
Many regions still lack fiber coverage, high-capacity backbones, and advanced data centers, limiting speed, reliability, and the ability to handle increasing traffic.
Lack of Professionalism
Operational inefficiencies, delayed maintenance, and poor planning for peak demand frustrate users and reduce confidence in service providers, even where infrastructure exists.
Internet as a Fundamental Utility
In today’s world, the internet has become as essential as food, water, and housing. Lives increasingly depend on it for communication, education, healthcare, and work. Smooth and reliable connectivity is vital not just for individuals but also for online businesses, cloud-based operations, and modern equipment that require continuous data access. Without a stable internet, daily life, economic activities, and technological progress face serious disruption.
For a country aiming to grow its digital economy, unreliable connectivity directly limits competitiveness and economic growth. The repeated max spikes and persistent slow performance serve as a clear signal: Pakistan’s internet ecosystem needs urgent, large-scale investment and modernization to catch up with regional and global standards.
While Downdetector data is referenced for trend visualization, our newsroom has received reports from multiple affected users across different regions. In addition, our own monitoring and testing during the same timeframe confirmed service degradation and connectivity issues. This indicates that the actual impact of the outage is more severe than what crowd-sourced reporting alone suggests.
