Since this morning, most of the country has been without internet access, with almost all of the major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) experiencing outages. According to different social media accounts, the internet services of PTCL, Nayatel, Stormfiber, Transworld, Ufone, and Telenor are still down.
Meanwhile, Jazz and Zong’s internet services are patchy, with users reporting periodic service disruptions. On the other hand, corporate accounts for some ISPs are still working because they have backup connections.
The internet outage began around 7 a.m. today, just an hour or so before the start of regular business hours. Almost every sector of the economy now heavily relies on the internet, particularly the banking sector, whose stakeholders are unable to complete even the most basic transactions.
On the other hand, citizens have flooded all ISP helplines and complaint lines. Some ISPs have turned off their helplines and stopped accepting complaints.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed earlier today that an issue has been reported in PTCL’s data networks between the south and north, causing internet connectivity issues. PTA is looking into the problem and keeping a close eye on the situation. More information will be given as soon as possible.
Technical fault in the PTCL optic fiber network caused by heavy rains and flooding has been repaired and Internet services have been restored. We regret the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding.
— PTCL (@PTCLOfficial) August 19, 2022
