Karachi rains Cause PTCL, Internet Outages

Heavy rainfall in Karachi caused nationwide internet and telecom disruptions after water seeped into connectivity hubs, hitting PTCL and Ufone services.

Staff Report

Internet outage has hit entire Pakistan. The downpour led to a major outage at Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), affecting its mobile arm Ufone and several other operators that rely on its wholesale internet. Subscribers of Jazz, Zong and Telenor also reported service issues.

Global internet monitor NetBlocks confirmed a significant connectivity drop across Pakistan, stating that PTCL, the backbone operator, was most affected. It said national connectivity had fallen to just 20 percent of normal levels.

PTCL response and regulator action

A PTCL spokesperson acknowledged disruptions on PTCL and Ufone services but did not specify the cause. “Our teams are diligently working to restore services as quickly as possible. We regret any inconvenience caused,” the company said.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed that PTCL’s technical teams were working to resolve what it called a “technical glitch” and said it was monitoring the restoration efforts.

Suspected fault at Karachi landing station

Officials in the Ministry of IT and Telecom suggested that the fault likely occurred at the submarine cable landing station in Karachi’s Clifton area, which may have been impacted by flooding. They said no cable break was reported, indicating the disruption stemmed from the main hub or landing facilities.

Mobile network strain in Karachi

In addition to internet services, voice connectivity was affected in Karachi. IT Minister Shaza Fatima said several mobile towers were down due to power outages across the city. She added that call traffic spiked as thousands of people were stranded in flooded areas, further straining the network.CCP Engages tech giants over unfair practices

With more than 12 million mobile subscribers in Karachi, including 4.5 million Jazz users, the outage placed heavy pressure on other operators after Ufone went offline.

Authorities said restoration efforts were underway but gave no timeline for full service resumption. The incident highlighted the vulnerability of Pakistan’s telecom infrastructure to extreme weather events.