WhatsApp, Instagram Users Across Pakistan Report Widespread Outages
Users of WhatsApp and Instagram across Pakistan reported widespread outages on September 21, affecting communication and social media services throughout the country. The disruption was confirmed by outage monitoring platform, Downdetector, which showed a significant spike in reports starting around 10:45am local time.
Many users reported issues with sending messages and accessing services on both platforms. The outages affected both mobile and desktop users, with some facing total disconnection. According to Downdetector, the problems were reported across major cities, including Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Network providers Zong and PTCL also experienced disruptions.
Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp and Instagram, has yet to issue a formal statement explaining the cause of the disruption. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has not commented on the matter.
However, in an earlier update on August 28, the PTA attributed ongoing internet slowdowns to faults in two of the seven international submarine cables—SMW4 and AAE-1—that connect Pakistan to global networks.
“The ongoing internet slowdown across the country is mainly due to [a] fault in two (SMW4, AAE-1) of the seven international submarine cables connecting Pakistan internationally,” the PTA had stated. The authority added that the SMW-4 cable is expected to be repaired by early October 2024.