A representational image of an under water internet cable. — National Physical Laboratory

IT minister confirms submarine cable cut disrupting Pakistan's internet

A representational image of an under water internet cable. — National Physical LaboratoryFederal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja confirmed on Monday that a submarine cable cut near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is causing nationwide internet disruptions, with assessments ongoing to determine the...

Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja confirmed on Monday that a submarine cable cut near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has triggered nationwide internet disruptions, with assessments underway to determine the full scale of the damage.

In her statement, the minister said she was in close contact with officials from Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) regarding the issue. “It is correct that slow internet is affecting businesses,” she admitted, adding that detailed evaluations were ongoing to assess the extent of the disruption.

Her remarks follow PTCL’s earlier announcement that damage to submarine cables in Saudi waters could impact internet services in Pakistan, especially during peak usage hours. The disruption has affected partial bandwidth on two major undersea cable systems — SMW4 and IMEWE — which serve as key connections linking Pakistan to global networks.

PTCL noted that international partners are working urgently to restore the damaged links, while local teams have arranged additional bandwidth to minimize the impact. However, the IT minister clarified that international repair agencies have not yet provided a timeline for full restoration. “The nature of the cable damage is being reviewed,” she added.

The outage has not been limited to Pakistan alone. Internet slowdowns were also reported across parts of the Middle East, including the UAE and Gulf countries, following the cut in the Red Sea. Experts highlight that nearly 70% of such incidents are caused by ship anchors, with the Red Sea being one of the most critical yet technically challenging global telecommunications corridors.

This is not the first time the region has faced such disruption. In March 2024, three cables were damaged in the same area, leading to widespread interruptions to internet and cloud services across multiple countries.