After a massive earthquake of 7.7 magnitude earlier this afternoon which lasted well over a minute, mobile phone networks aren’t performing optimally. Right now, we are unable to make/receive any calls in KPK, parts of Punjab, Islamabad and in Northern Areas of Pakistan.
We are getting reports from our readers that they are finding it hard to connect to their loved ones as mobile phone networks are either busy or not responding at all.
When we asked our readers through our Facebook page, majority of respondents said that they aren’t able to make calls. Some readers are in fact reporting wireless internet connectivity issues on their ends.
We are unable to contact any official of mobile phone companies as phones aren’t connecting but an industry expert said that cellular services are probably disrupted due to the sudden hike in traffic. He said that traffic congestion could be the reason behind network slow-down.
Another expert said that as far as we don’t have any reported damage for network infrastructure, it is safe to assume that increased traffic choked the networks. He said that traffic is likely to stabilize with time and so will mobile phone services.
Early reports are claiming that at least 50 individuals are injured in Peshawar while one death has been confirmed by ARY news in Peshawar.
We were able to speak with officials of mobile phone companies to know that network inaccessibility was mainly due to traffic spike.
Officials said that they are trying to figure out any infrastructure damages in northern areas, however, their network infrastructure in Punjab and KPK remained safe and survived the jolts.
They advised the masses to not to panic and use alternative means of communication, including Whatsapp as data services are working better than usual due to decreased internet traffic.
Ufone has confirmed us that their entire network, throughout the country, survived the earthquake jolts and is online. It said that customers may face network issues due to traffic spikes but no infrastructure was damaged during today’s earthquake.
Mobile phone services are now back to normal. We are confirmed by telecom companies that voice traffic over cellular networks is better than it was few hours ago and calls are currently connecting well for everyone.
They said that support and technical staff will continue to monitor the situation closely to best deal with any future spikes.