Pakistan Internet Users May See Slower Speeds Until November 2

Internet users in Pakistan may experience slower speeds during peak hours until November 2 as emergency maintenance continues on the AAE-1 international submarine cable, according to an advisory attributed to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL).

The reported work began on October 27 on the cable section between Italy and France. PTCL described the expected impact as “minor service degradation” during busy hours. The advisory does not give an estimated speed reduction or say that all users or internet providers will be affected equally.

The Asia-Africa-Europe 1 cable is one of the routes used to carry international internet traffic. Maintenance on an international link can affect service performance while network operators manage traffic across available routes. The reported advisory does not specify how individual providers will be affected or whether additional backup capacity is being used.

Users may notice slower browsing, streaming, downloads or online calls during busy periods, but the extent of any disruption could vary by provider, location and the services being accessed. The announcement concerns possible slow speeds; it does not announce a nationwide internet shutdown.

The maintenance is expected to continue through November 2, according to the reported timeline. Customers experiencing persistent problems can contact their internet provider for service updates and report any local outage or connectivity issue.