PTA Cracks Down on Poor Telecom Services, Issues 39 Notices & Rs 68.9 Million in Penalties

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has intensified regulatory action against telecom operators over poor mobile service quality and repeated violations of quality standards, according to official documents reviewed during recent oversight proceedings.

The documents reveal that the telecom regulator issued 39 show-cause notices to mobile operators during the last five years over service quality issues, while 18 warning letters were also served for repeated non-compliance and customer complaints.

According to the documents, PTA imposed cumulative penalties worth Rs 68.9 million on telecom companies for failing to meet quality-of-service benchmarks and regulatory obligations. The regulator has also recovered Rs 13.6 million so far, while 11 cases involving telecom operators remain pending in courts due to ongoing litigation.

The documents further show that PTA conducted 379 Quality of Service (QoS) surveys across the country during the last three years to assess the performance of mobile operators. Out of these, 243 surveys were conducted in cities, 11 on major roads, and two along railway tracks.

Officials said 136 surveys were specifically carried out on the basis of consumer complaints regarding weak signals, poor voice quality, internet disruptions, and mobile data issues in different regions of the country.

The reports indicate that several cities repeatedly experienced problems related to mobile signals and data connectivity during survey operations. Following recurring complaints, PTA issued warning letters to all telecom operators in various cities and sought compliance reports regarding corrective measures.

According to the documents, some telecom companies have already submitted compliance reports to the regulator after receiving notices and warnings.

The government has also started stricter enforcement of telecom license conditions in an effort to improve service quality nationwide. Officials stated that PTA is introducing new measures aimed at network expansion, infrastructure sharing, and service optimization to reduce connectivity issues.

The documents further reveal that Pakistan’s telecom sector has seen major infrastructure growth in recent years. Spectrum capacity in the country has increased to 480 megahertz compared to nearly 200 megahertz previously, while nationwide fibre optic expansion and network upgrades are also underway.

Authorities expect these measures, alongside the recent 5G spectrum auction and increasing infrastructure investments, to improve mobile coverage and internet performance across urban and rural areas in the coming years.

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