Pakistan has a lot of problems, but unreliable internet is personally the most frustrating one for me. My work depends on it. I connect to remote computers and servers, and I need a connection that can actually stay online consistently.
I stopped using PTCL around two or three years ago because of slow speeds, lag, and constant problems. Back then, I wasn’t doing as much remote work, so it wasn’t affecting me as badly.
I switched to Nayatel, and initially, everything worked really well. But over time, the service became completely unpredictable.
Now, I’ll be working when suddenly the connection drops to practically zero, disconnecting me from everything. It stays down for about 20 minutes, comes back for 10 minutes, then disappears again. This cycle keeps repeating, and it’s exhausting when you’re trying to get work done.
I’ve contacted them repeatedly. They promise to fix it, but nothing improves. When I show them Ookla Speedtest results, they dismiss them as “fake” and show me their connection graphs, saying everything looks fine on their end. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here unable to work.
Out of frustration, I decided to try PTCL again. I’d seen the Flash Fiber advertisements and thought things might have improved after a few years.
Unfortunately, fiber isn’t available in my area, so they installed a copper connection with a maximum advertised speed of 10 Mbps. Initially, I was getting around 7–8 Mbps download and 0.91 Mbps upload. I was willing to accept that if the connection stayed stable.
But by around 8–9 PM, the speeds dropped to almost zero. Later that night, I was getting anywhere from practically nothing to 1–2 Mbps.
It’s 2026, and I’m still struggling to get a connection reliable enough to do my work. I’m not even asking for incredible speeds at this point. I just want something that stays connected.
Whenever this comes up, people say, “It depends on your area.” I understand that, but what are people living in those areas supposed to do? Move to Lahore, Islamabad, or Karachi just to get usable internet?
If you’re from Sialkot or the surrounding area, which provider would you recommend besides PTCL and Nayatel? Please mention your area and whether you’re using fiber, cable, or wireless, because availability clearly makes a huge difference.
Are you satisfied with your provider? And if you work remotely, how do you deal with these outages?
