• Country’s internet connectivity drops to 20pc after major PTCL, Ufone outage
• Other telcos also experience data service disruptions

ISLAMABAD: Heavy rainfall in Karachi caused widespread disruptions to PTCL internet and Ufone services, affecting subscribers across the country.

Since other telecom operators purchase wholesale internet from PTCL, users of Jazz, Zong and Telenor also experienced data service disruptions.

Netblocks, a global internet watchdog, confirmed a major disruption to internet connectivity across Pakistan, with PTCL being significantly impacted. National connectivity dropped to 20 per cent of ordinary levels.

Responding to a query, a PTCL spokesperson acknowledged the issue. “Our teams are diligently working to restore the services as quickly as possible. We regret any inconvenience caused,” the spokesperson said but did not mention the cause for the nationwide outage.

Sources in the Ministry of IT and Telecom suggested that the disruption might be due to a technical fault at the landing station of submarine cables in Karachi’s Clifton area.

“No submarine cable issue has been reported, so the problem is likely at the landing station and some technical fault in the main hub,” and official said. “As a result, it’s a nationwide outage now with upstream traffic facing issues too.”

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said in a statement that technical teams were working to resolve the issue.

IT Minister Shaza Fatima attributed the disruptions to power outages and network congestion, with many towers down in Karachi.

“The other localised issue is temporary choking of the network as too many people were stranded at the same spot and almost everyone was either making calls or receiving them. And now with PTCL going dead, all connectivity has shifted at telephony creating more choking,” Ms Fatima added.

Karachi’s 12 million mobile phone subscribers were affected, with the load shifting to the remaining three telcos after Ufone’s service disruption.

A PTA official noted that running generators for 12 hours was not feasible, and supplying diesel to towers was challenging in the current situation.

He added that more than 200 telecom sites (towers) were damaged in the flood in KP and most of the towers were restored in flood-affected areas of Swat, Buner, Shangla, etc, and the teams were ensuring restoration of remaining sites.

As heavy urban flooding hit Karachi, residents faced telephony disruptions in many areas, losing connections with each other.

Saher, a Gulistan-i-Jauhar resident, expressed concern: “I received one call from my husband, Jamal, saying he was stuck on the street, but his phone isn’t connecting since sunset. I’m really worried.”

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2025