The outage originated from a fault in PTCL’s distribution infrastructure in Karachi late Tuesday night, causing widespread connectivity disruptions—particularly impacting users dependent on PTCL’s backbone services.

Throughout the night, technical teams worked relentlessly to pinpoint and resolve the issue. Services returned to normal around 5 a.m. Wednesday, restoring internet access for PTCL and Ufone users nationwide. During the restoration process, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) provided support and clarified that the disruption did not affect the entire PTCL network. They stated that though parts relying on PTCL suffered interruptions, segments of other providers like Transworld and Multinet remained operational.

The outage was confirmed by global internet monitoring group NetBlocks. National internet connectivity dropped to just 20% of normal levels during the disruption, as per NetBlocks. NetBlocks reported that the hardest-hit service was PTCL.

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In Pakistan, PTCL serves as a backbone provider, meaning that any disruption can cascade and impact multiple ISPs and mobile operators. This incident highlights the need for diverse connectivity routes in Pakistan.