Pakistan experienced an unprecedented number of internet outages in 2026, with a total of 68 incidents reported nationwide, sources revealed to ProPakistani. The disruptions lasted approximately 900 hours, equating to nearly 38 full days offline, severely affecting users across the country.
Industry insiders attributed the outages mainly to regulatory restrictions and backbone issues faced by upstream providers, including submarine cable faults. The most severe disruption occurred in March 2026, when government-imposed restrictions slowed internet speeds nationwide for about 13 days – the longest single outage recorded that year.
September 2026 also saw significant downtime due to submarine cable faults, causing around a week of connectivity issues. Most recently, several major ISPs faced another day-long outage, highlighting the persistent challenges in Pakistan’s internet infrastructure.
Experts warn that such recurring issues could impact businesses, education, and digital services, emphasizing the need for stronger regulatory planning and improved infrastructure to avoid future disruptions.
