Telecom Sector Struggling with Load Shedding, Fiber Cuts and Equipment Theft, Govt Tells NA

Frequent and prolonged electricity outages have emerged as one of the biggest challenges facing Pakistan’s telecom sector, significantly impacting mobile network quality, internet connectivity, and service availability across the country, the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication informed the National Assembly.

In a written reply submitted by Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the government acknowledged that unreliable power supply and extended load shedding are severely affecting telecom infrastructure operations nationwide.

According to the ministry, prolonged power outages rapidly deplete backup resources at mobile sites, reducing network availability and causing service degradation for millions of users.

The ministry also highlighted several additional operational challenges facing telecom operators, including difficult terrain, harsh weather conditions, security concerns, fiber optic cable cuts, theft of telecom equipment, and delays in Right of Way (RoW) approvals required for network expansion projects.

Over 57,000 Telecom Sites Operational Nationwide

Official data submitted to parliament revealed that Pakistan currently has more than 57,000 telecom base transceiver stations (BTS) sites deployed across 2G, 3G, and 4G networks.

Among mobile operators, Jazz operates the country’s largest network infrastructure with more than 16,000 BTS sites, followed by CMPak (Zong), Telenor, and Ufone, each maintaining thousands of telecom towers and mobile sites nationwide.

The ministry stated that all telecom operators continue providing voice and data services across urban, rural, and remote areas despite operational constraints.

However, Operational Support System (OSS) analysis showed that the site availability of all major operators remained below the regulatory target of 99 percent, primarily due to prolonged power disruptions.

At the same time, all operators maintained call completion rates above the required 98 percent benchmark.

PTA Conducted 379 Quality Surveys, Issued Fines and Warnings

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) informed parliament that it conducted 379 Quality of Service (QoS) surveys over the past three years to monitor network performance and service quality nationwide.

According to the data, the regulator issued five show-cause notices and 15 warning letters to telecom operators over service quality concerns.

The ministry further revealed that during the last five years, PTA imposed penalties totaling Rs68.9 million on telecom companies for various regulatory and service-related violations.

The ministry said the government is taking multiple steps to improve connectivity and prepare the country for next-generation digital infrastructure.

These measures include the recent auction of 480 MHz spectrum aimed at improving 4G performance and enabling future 5G deployment.

According to officials, the government has also set a target of deploying 1,000 new telecom sites annually, with at least 20 percent planned for underserved and low-coverage areas under Universal Service Fund (USF) projects.

The ministry added that efforts are underway to increase fiberization levels nationwide, encourage infrastructure sharing among operators, and implement mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) frameworks to reduce deployment costs and improve service quality.

Officials said the government remains focused on strengthening Pakistan’s telecom infrastructure despite growing operational and energy-related challenges facing the sector.

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