On Saturday, users of WhatsApp and Instagram in Pakistan faced outages, and disruptions in internet service were also reported from a cellular provider and PTCL, according to the outage monitoring site Downdetector.
Users of Instagram noted a peak of 86 outages within an hour, while WhatsApp users began experiencing issues, particularly with sending voice messages, starting at 10:45 AM. Downdetector highlighted that network providers had been tracking outages since the morning.
Residents of Karachi and Lahore also faced difficulties accessing mobile internet services.
Back in August, the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) indicated that internet speeds across the nation were likely to remain slow until “early October” due to repairs needed on the submarine cable causing the issues.
The PTA explained that the ongoing internet slowdown was primarily due to problems with two (SMW4, AAE-1) of the seven international submarine cables that connect Pakistan to the rest of the world.
As for updates, the PTA mentioned that repairs on the SMW-4 submarine cable are expected to be completed by early October 2024, while repairs on the AAE-1 cable have been finished, which should enhance the internet experience for users.
Rebecca covers all aspects of Mac and PC technology, including PC gaming and peripherals, at Digital Phablet. Over the previous ten years, she built multiple desktop PCs for gaming and content production, despite her educational background in prosthetics and model-making. Playing video and tabletop games, occasionally broadcasting to everyone’s dismay, she enjoys dabbling in digital art and 3D printing.