Pakistan’s Broadband Nightmare: PTA Finds Fixed Internet Speeds Falling Short Nationwide

Pakistan’s broadband landscape is under scrutiny once again as the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has revealed that several Broadband Service Providers (BSPs) are struggling to maintain consistent service quality across the country. The Authority’s latest Quality of Service (QoS) survey, part of its assessment of Pakistan broadband quality 2025, highlights major performance challenges, including high bandwidth utilization, elevated latency, and jitter issues that continue to impact end-user experience.

Broadband under pressure: PTA’s latest findings

According to PTA, the QoS surveys were conducted across 34 major cities, including regions in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The assessments were aimed at evaluating fixed-line broadband services to ensure compliance with the Authority’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and to verify whether users are receiving stable and reliable internet connectivity.

The report reveals that while some operators maintained compliance in metropolitan centers, many regional providers failed to meet PTA’s performance benchmarks, exposing persistent disparities in service quality between urban and peripheral regions.

Among the most notable findings, high bandwidth utilization, especially during peak hours, was cited as a key factor behind network congestion and reduced browsing speeds. PTA noted that this over-utilization not only causes slow internet but also signals deeper inefficiencies in network capacity planning and infrastructure scalability.

High Latency and Routing Inefficiencies Undermine Broadband Experience

The survey also found that high latency, both local and international, remains a critical issue for several BSPs, suggesting inefficiencies in routing and backbone performance.

Operators including Air Max Cyber Net, NTC (Hub), PTCL (Hub), and Laser Communication recorded high local latency, while New Millennium, SCO, Ittefaq Cable, NTC (Hub), Instacom, and Prime Networks showed elevated delays in international segments.

High latency can significantly degrade real-time user experiences, especially in applications such as video calls, streaming, and online gaming. According to PTA, persistent latency issues point toward inefficient routing paths, inadequate peering arrangements, and backbone congestion, which collectively undermine network responsiveness.

Elevated Jitter Levels Impact Real-Time Applications and User Experience

The Authority’s report further highlights elevated jitter levels among several providers, including Air Max, New Millennium, 5G WiFi, and PTCL, which can disrupt real-time communications and lead to choppy audio or video in conferencing platforms.

Network availability, a measure of uptime for both access and core network nodes, was also found to be below acceptable thresholds for several ISPs, including Net Point, Kot Jameel Net, Ittefaq Cable, NTC, PTCL, and CMPak. PTA said that such performance lapses directly affect service reliability and user trust, particularly in regions that already face infrastructure limitations.

Network reliability and quality remain central to ensuring user satisfaction and digital inclusion. The latest QoS results are intended to encourage BSPs to optimize their networks and align with PTA’s regulatory benchmarks.

-PTA

Pakistan Broadband Quality 2025 Report Highlights Regional Disparities

Despite widespread performance issues, the survey noted that major metropolitan regions, including Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Hyderabad, and Faisalabad, continued to demonstrate strong compliance, with some operators achieving 100 percent adherence to PTA’s KPIs.

However, service quality in smaller and hilly towns, such as Haripur, Abbottabad, Kotli, Hub, Gujjar Khan, Quetta, and Sehnsa, remained inconsistent. These areas recorded frequent non-compliance in latency and bandwidth KPIs, suggesting that topographical challenges and limited backhaul infrastructure are still major hurdles for consistent broadband delivery.

PTA Flags Non-Compliant Operators and Infrastructure Bottlenecks

PTA’s data identifies several operators showing repeated non-compliance, particularly in jitter and terrestrial latency metrics. These include Airmax Abbottabad, Pace Telecom Abbottabad, 5GWifi Havelian, and Ittefaq Cable Network Sehnsa.

According to PTA officials, these cases point to chronic issues of network congestion and underdeveloped infrastructure, especially in smaller towns where investment in robust fiber backbones has lagged.

A senior telecom expert familiar with the survey said that most local providers rely on shared upstream capacity and outdated routing equipment, leading to poor handling of traffic spikes and limited redundancy. “In such networks, even moderate usage surges can cause severe slowdowns,” the expert explained.

PTA Urges BSPs to Upgrade Networks and Optimize Bandwidth Management

In response to the findings, non-compliant BSPs have been formally notified and provided with detailed KPI performance data, outlining specific deficiencies. The Authority has directed these operators to initiate immediate optimization measures, including:

• Better bandwidth management during peak hours

• Infrastructure upgrades to reduce congestion

• Routing and peering optimization to minimize latency

• Core network redundancy improvements to enhance uptime

PTA emphasized that these measures are crucial for ensuring compliance with national broadband quality standards and for supporting Pakistan’s broader digital transformation goals.

What the Pakistan Broadband Quality 2025 Findings Mean for Users

Pakistan’s fixed broadband penetration has steadily improved over recent years, with millions of households now dependent on reliable connectivity for work, education, and entertainment. However, the gap between urban and rural broadband performance remains significant, posing challenges for equitable digital access.

High latency and inconsistent speeds not only frustrate consumers but also hamper the growth of digital services such as e-learning, telemedicine, and e-commerce in smaller towns. With the government aiming to expand its digital economy, PTA’s latest findings underscore the urgent need for infrastructure modernization, transparent performance reporting, and stronger regulatory compliance across all tiers of broadband providers.

Closing the Gap: What Pakistan Must Do to Fix Its Fixed Broadband

Analysts say that improving Pakistan’s broadband performance requires a multi-pronged strategy, involving both regulatory enforcement and industry investment. This includes expanding fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) coverage, incentivizing regional operators to upgrade backhaul links, and ensuring competitive access to international gateways.

If BSPs fail to act, Pakistan risks deepening its digital divide, with smaller cities and rural communities left behind as internet quality stagnates.

ALSO READ: PTA Tightens Telecom Cybersecurity with Mandatory Local Data Hosting and Zero-Trust Rules