Internet users across Pakistan may face slow speeds at peak hours until 2 November, PTCL says, while emergency repairs are carried out on the Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1) submarine cable. With internet slow in Pakistan for a week, the businesses most exposed are those that sell services abroad or depend on tools hosted in Europe, from freelancers to software houses and call centres.
The short version
- PTCL has warned of “minor service degradation” at peak hours from 27 October to 2 November.
- The repair is on the AAE-1 cable’s Italy–France section, so services hosted in Europe are likely to be slowest.
- It is the third week-long slowdown PTCL has flagged in 2026, after April and May.
- IT exports reached $1.25 billion in July–September, so even small delays touch a large export line.
What happened
PTCL said emergency maintenance began on 27 October on the section of AAE-1 between Italy and France, according to PhoneWorld and TechJuice. Users may notice slower loading during busy hours, especially in the evening and when using websites and services hosted in Europe. PTCL asked customers for patience. It has not said how large the slowdown will be, or whether it will add backup bandwidth, PhoneWorld reported.
AAE-1 is a cable of about 25,000km that links Southeast Asia with Europe through Egypt and lands in Karachi. PTCL began using it in 2017. The current work is planned maintenance with an end date, unlike January 2025, when a fault near Qatar slowed internet across the country for nearly two weeks.
A third week-long cable slowdown in 2026
Length of internet slowdowns announced by PTCL for submarine cable faults and repairs, calendar days
Why it matters
Pakistan’s online economy is now a sizeable export earner. IT exports were $435 million in September, the second-highest month on record, and $1.25 billion in the first quarter of FY27, according to Business Recorder. Freelancers alone earned a record $197 million in September, up 49% from a year earlier. We looked at the target behind those numbers in Pakistan IT exports hit $435m in September. Much of that work runs on video calls, cloud tools and file transfers during European and American working hours, which overlap with Pakistan’s evening peak. Pakistan also has more than 150 million internet subscribers, Arab News reported in May, so domestic e-commerce, banking apps and streaming share the same squeezed capacity.
The knock-on effects
First order: internet slow in Pakistan at peak hours
Video calls, streaming and large downloads are likely to suffer first, PhoneWorld says, mostly in the evening and on European-hosted services.
Second order: lost hours for service exporters
Freelancers, software houses and back-office firms working for European clients may need to move uploads and meetings to off-peak hours, or pay for backup connections. Repeated disruptions also make it harder to promise clients reliable delivery times.
Third order: pressure for more cable capacity
Each slowdown adds to the case for more submarine cables and backup routes. In August 2025, Radio Pakistan reported plans for three new cables to expand bandwidth and support 5G, according to Arab News. Government schemes that bring more users online, such as the PM Chromebook scheme for 500,000 students, will add to demand.
Who could benefit
- Providers with other routes: networks less dependent on AAE-1 may win business customers looking for a backup line.
- Cloud and data-centre firms in the region: services hosted closer to Pakistan avoid the affected European leg.
Who may face pressure
- Freelancers and IT exporters: deadlines and client calls fall in Pakistan’s evening peak.
- Call centres and remote-work firms: voice and video quality is the first to suffer.
- Online sellers and streaming services: slower pages and buffering in the busiest shopping and viewing hours.
What to watch
- Whether PTCL confirms the repair is complete on or before 2 November 2026.
- Any statement from PTCL or the PTA on backup bandwidth during the work.
- October IT and freelance export figures, due in mid-November.
- Progress on the new submarine cables announced in 2025.
Sources
- PhoneWorld, Internet May Get Slower in Pakistan Until November 2 as Submarine Cable Work Continues, 28 October 2026
- TechJuice, Pakistan Internet Users May Face Slow Speeds Until November 2, 28 October 2026
- Daily Pakistan, Internet users across Pakistan may face slow speeds until Saturday, 28 October 2026
- Business Recorder, Pakistan’s IT exports hit $435mn in September, second-highest ever, 16 October 2026
- Arab News, Pakistan’s PTCL warns of week-long Internet disruptions due to submarine cable repair, 11 May 2026
- Geo News, Internet services may slow down due to submarine cable maintenance: PTCL, 13 April 2026
- Dawn, Internet services to face degradation amid repairs to submarine cable: PTCL, 13 October 2025
This is analysis, not investment advice. Figures are as of 28 October 2026.
Leave a Reply