ISLAMABAD: Internet users across Pakistan are bracing for a period of significantly reduced connectivity as Transworld Associates (TWA), one of the country’s two primary international bandwidth providers, begins critical submarine cable maintenance today.
The scheduled activity is expected to cause a nationwide slowdown, characterized by higher latency and intermittent service disruptions, lasting nearly four days.
According to a notification issued by Transworld Associates, the maintenance work is being conducted in coordination with international partners. The schedule is as follows:
Commencement: Thursday, April 9, at 6:30 PM (PST).
Expected Completion: Monday, April 13, at 5:00 AM (PST).
During this 82-hour window, users may experience sluggish browsing speeds and degraded performance, particularly during peak usage hours.
While the maintenance is being spearheaded by Transworld, the ripple effects will be felt far beyond their direct customer base because, as a backbone provider, Transworld’s infrastructure supports a vast network of secondary Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and corporate clients.
“Pakistan’s internet backbone effectively runs through just two major gateways: PTCL and Transworld. When one undergoes significant maintenance, the other cannot always absorb the shifted traffic without congestion,” explained a senior telecommunications analyst.
Key Infrastructure at Stake:
TW1: The only privately owned submarine fiber optic cable in Pakistan, owned and operated by Transworld.
SMW-5: Transworld serves as the landing party for this critical international cable.
SEA-ME-WE 6 & 2Africa: Transworld holds consortium membership in these upcoming and recently landed high-capacity cables, making it an essential upstream provider.
Meanwhile, major ISPs that rely on Transworld for international connectivity have begun notifying their subscribers. Nayatel, a leading fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) provider in cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad, is among those likely to be affected.
It may be recalled that a similar maintenance event scheduled for January 2026 had previously put users on edge before it was ultimately postponed. This time, however, the work is proceeding as planned.
Industry experts suggest that while PTCL-based services may remain more stable, the overall reduction in the country’s total international bandwidth capacity will likely lead to “peering congestion,” impacting even those not directly connected to the Transworld network.
