A global outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS) struck on 21 October 2025, coinciding with a submarine cable fault in Pakistan that triggered severe internet slowdowns nationwide. What caused this AWS outage Pakistan cable damage crisis? Engineers pinpointed a DNS resolution flaw in AWS’s US-East-1 region, while experts blamed a cut in the PEACE cable landing in Karachi. The disruptions hit at 12:11 AM PDT, affecting services for hours and amplifying local connectivity issues.
These events expose Pakistan’s fragile digital infrastructure, vital for a South Asian economy increasingly reliant on e-commerce, remote work, and fintech. With bandwidth concentrated on few undersea cables, such faults ripple across borders, hindering regional trade ties and underscoring the need for diversified connectivity to sustain growth amid rising cyber demands.
AWS Outage Pakistan Cable Damage Timeline Unfolds
The AWS outage Pakistan cable damage saga began early on 21 October 2025. At 12:11 AM PDT, increased error rates emerged in the US-East-1 region, impacting 78 services including Amazon EC2, Lambda, and DynamoDB. AWS engineers identified the root cause by 2:01 AM PDT as a DNS issue with DynamoDB API endpoints. Mitigation efforts ramped up at 2:22 AM PDT, yielding significant recovery signs by 2:27 AM PDT.
Full DNS mitigation occurred at 3:35 AM PDT, though backlogs persisted for CloudTrail and Lambda. By 5:48 AM PDT, most services normalised, but new EC2 launches faced errors until 6:42 AM PDT mitigations across availability zones. AWS reported most operations succeeding normally, advising users to retry requests and flush DNS caches.
In Pakistan, the AWS outage Pakistan cable damage intensified local woes. Reports surfaced of degraded speeds on ISPs, especially in Karachi. Digital expert Habibullah Khan posted on X: “It’s a cable cut on the core system. They are running tests to localise the fault location.” The PEACE cable, delivering 600 Gbps from China via Misri Shah gateway, emerged as the suspect.
This submarine cable fault Pakistan AWS overlap left users grappling with compounded delays. Global AWS issues hit apps reliant on its cloud, while the cable cut throttled international bandwidth.
Pakistan Internet Slowdown October 2025 Hits Daily Life
Pakistan internet slowdown October 2025 peaked amid the dual blows. Users reported sluggish browsing, failed video streams, and app crashes nationwide. In Karachi, ISPs like PTCL saw the sharpest drops, with complaints flooding social media.
The AWS outage felled services like Snapchat, Reddit, and Fortnite globally, but in Pakistan, the submarine cable fault Pakistan AWS link exacerbated access. IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja told Dawn: “Snapchat and other major apps [are] down due to Amazon web service outage worldwide.” Her IT minister AWS outage response highlighted the global nature, yet locals tied persistent lags to infrastructure gaps.
Data from Downdetector showed spikes in reports for WhatsApp and Signal in Europe, mirroring Pakistan trends. Pakistan’s 110 million users, per PTA estimates, endured up to 40% speed reductions in past similar events. Businesses halted operations; e-commerce platforms like Daraz logged transaction dips. Freelancers on Upwork faced deadline misses, underscoring economic tolls.
Protests erupted online, with hashtags like #FixPakistanInternet trending. One Lahore user tweeted: “AWS outage Pakistan cable damage is killing productivity.” The slowdown disrupted banking apps and remote classes, hitting urban centres hardest.
Submarine Cable Fault Pakistan AWS: Infrastructure Vulnerabilities
The submarine cable fault Pakistan AWS crisis spotlights overreliance on limited links. Pakistan connects via seven cables: AAE-1, SMW4, IMEWE, and PEACE among them. The PEACE system, operated by Cyber Internet Services, channels key traffic from Asia. Past faults, like August 2024’s AAE-1 cut, slowed services till October. Now, this October 2025 incident echoes that, with tests ongoing to pinpoint the break. Transworld Associates and PTCL manage others, but no ISP issued statements on rerouting.
AWS’s role amplifies risks, as many Pakistani apps host there. The outage cascaded to local servers, per experts. Habibullah Khan noted the core system cut demanded urgent repairs, potentially weeks away without spares. Government data lags; PTA’s last public update predates this. Users shifted to VPNs, ironically worsening loads amid X platform bans.
IT Minister AWS Outage Response Draws Scrutiny
IT minister AWS outage response centred on external blame. Shaza Fatima Khawaja’s statement to Dawn urged patience, framing it as a worldwide glitch. Yet, critics question why local redundancies failed.
In past crises, ministers cited VPN overuse. This time, focus stayed on AWS, ignoring cable specifics. Opposition voices in National Assembly demanded briefings, citing PKR 500 million annual losses from disruptions. AWS updates provided transparency: 33 services resolved by midday 21 October, with 45 pending. Their dashboard detailed mitigations, contrasting Pakistan’s silence. Stakeholders like Pakistan Software Houses Association called for investments in 2Africa cable, slated for Q4 2025 rollout.
Background: Recurring Digital Disruptions in Pakistan
Pakistan’s internet woes trace to geographic chokepoints. Seven cables handle 100% inbound traffic, vulnerable to cuts from anchors or quakes. PEACE, added recently, aimed to boost capacity but now falters. Global events like Red Sea attacks in 2024 severed links, costing billions. AWS, powering 30% of web traffic, ties Pakistan’s fate to US infrastructure. Past PTA notices warned of maintenance slowdowns, yet preparedness lags.
This AWS outage Pakistan cable damage fits a pattern: August 2024’s slowdown till October blamed AAE-1. Users rank Pakistan 141st in fixed broadband speeds at 15.6 Mbps, per Ookla October data.
What’s Next: Repairs and Resilience Measures
Repairs for the submarine cable fault Pakistan AWS could span days to weeks, pending fault localisation. AWS eyes full recovery by evening 21 October, per updates. In conclusion, this AWS outage Pakistan cable damage episode tests resolve, urging swift upgrades to shield South Asia’s digital lifeline from future shocks.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, October 21st, 2025
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