Internet Outage in Islamabad and Rawalpindi Caused by Fibre Cable Cut, PTA Says
A cut fibre cable on one operator's network slowed internet in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on 27 September, PTA said. It was no shutdown. How to report a fault.
Internet went down or slowed to a crawl in parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Sunday 27 September 2026. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said the cause was a cut optical fibre cable on one operator's network, and that the fault spilled over onto some other providers.
It was not a government shutdown. That matters, because many people in the twin cities assumed it was one. Mobile services had been expected to be curtailed around a PTI march, which has since been postponed, and this outage landed on the same weekend.
We checked PTA's press release page and its official X account early on Monday 28 September. Neither carried the statement. The PTA wording below is as carried by several national news outlets on Sunday, and they quote it consistently.
A cut fibre cable caused the twin cities internet outage
PTA said an optical fibre cable was cut on the network of one telecom operator on 27 September 2026. That caused partial disruption for some other service providers too, hitting mobile data and home Wi-Fi in parts of Islamabad, Rawalpindi and nearby areas.
An optical fibre cable is a thick line of glass strands that carries internet traffic between cities and exchanges. Operators often share routes or lease capacity from each other. So one cut on one company's line can slow down customers of several companies at once.
PTA did not name the operator in the wording that was published. Users on social media reported problems on fixed broadband and on mobile data from about 10am on Sunday. Reports named most of the big home and mobile providers in the capital, but we could not confirm the list with PTA or the companies.
Central and southern Pakistan were not affected
According to PTA, the disruption was limited to certain local and surrounding areas of the twin cities, with some areas in the north also affected. Internet in the central and southern parts of the country was working normally throughout.
| Area | What PTA said | Status on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi | Partial disruption to mobile data and Wi-Fi | Reported restored later on Sunday |
| Nearby surrounding areas | Partial disruption | Reported restored later on Sunday |
| Some northern areas | Also affected | Areas not named |
| Central Pakistan | Working normally | Not affected |
| Southern Pakistan | Working normally | Not affected |
Services were reported restored within hours
PTA said on Sunday that technical teams were repairing the cable and that full restoration could take a few hours. Later the same day, PTA was reported to have confirmed that services were fully back. We could not find that confirmation on PTA's own channels.
We did not see the regulator give a start time or an end time. Neither is stated anywhere we could read, so we are not putting a length on the outage.
This was not a shutdown, and no order was issued
The outage was a technical fault, not a suspension ordered by the government. PTA officials were reported to have said that no order had been issued to restrict mobile services in any part of the country that week.
The confusion is easy to understand. The Punjab Home Department had reportedly asked for mobile data around Rawalpindi and Attock to be jammed or slowed for a march planned for 27 September. We tracked that in the mobile internet suspension around Islamabad. The march was then postponed, and a meeting of federal officials reportedly ended without any order.
A real suspension looks different. It usually hits mobile data only, while home fibre keeps working. On Sunday, home Wi-Fi went down too, which points to a cable fault rather than an order.
What to do when your internet goes down
Report the fault to your own provider first and get a complaint number. If the provider does not fix it, take the complaint to PTA's Complaint Management System or call PTA on 0800-55055. PTA forwards complaints to the operator.
These are the steps in order:
- Restart your router or phone, and check whether others on the same provider are affected.
- Call your provider's helpline or use its app. Zong's helpline is 310 from a Zong number, according to the telecom helpline numbers we checked.
- Write down the complaint or ticket number the provider gives you.
- If the problem is not fixed, file it on PTA's Complaint Management System or the PTA CMS app, with the provider's ticket number.
- Or call PTA on 0800-55055, which is printed on PTA's own website.
The full route, including what PTA does with your complaint, is in how to complain about your mobile network to PTA. For a short outage that has already ended, a complaint is only worth filing if you were billed for data you could not use, or if the fault stayed at your address.
How to pay and message while the internet is down
Voice calls and SMS usually keep working during a data outage, because they do not need the internet. Mobile wallets can be used through USSD codes that work without data, and banks' helplines still answer by phone.
On Sunday, users reported that banking and wallet apps stopped loading. That is expected, because the apps need data. The codes and steps for paying, calling and messaging without data are in what still works when mobile internet is down. Save that page on your phone before the next outage, not during it.
Pakistan has had cable faults before
Cable faults have hit Pakistan's internet before. In July 2026, PTA said a fault on the SMW5 submarine cable was disrupting internet traffic, and then confirmed full restoration a day later. That was an international cable. Sunday's cut was local. PTA's press release page lists both July statements.
Common questions
Why was the internet down in Islamabad on 27 September 2026?
An optical fibre cable was cut on one operator's network, according to PTA. It also caused partial problems for some other providers in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and nearby areas.
Was the internet shut down by the government?
No. PTA described a cable fault. PTA officials were reported to have said no order to restrict mobile services had been issued.
Is the internet back in Rawalpindi and Islamabad?
Yes, as reported. PTA was reported to have confirmed full restoration later on Sunday 27 September, though we could not find that on PTA's own channels.
Were Lahore and Karachi affected?
No. PTA said internet in the central and southern parts of the country was working normally.
How do I complain to PTA about slow internet?
Complain to your provider first and get a ticket number. If it is not fixed, use PTA's Complaint Management System, the PTA CMS app, or call 0800-55055.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We last checked this on Monday 28 September 2026 at about 02:00 PKT. We read PTA's press release list at pta.gov.pk, where the newest item was dated 24 September and there was no statement on the cable cut. We read PTA's recent posts on its official X account, which had nothing on the outage either. PTA's statement and the later restoration are therefore as quoted by national news outlets on 27 September. The PTA helpline 0800-55055 and the CMS address are from PTA's own website. The SMW5 statements of 2 and 3 July 2026 are on PTA's press release page. We will update this page if PTA publishes the statement or names the operator.
About the author
Author
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
