Islamabad (HRNW)- The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology has expressed serious concerns over the poor quality of mobile network services across Pakistan, with lawmakers criticizing weak connectivity and call quality in several major cities.
The meeting, chaired by Member of National Assembly Aminul Haque, heard complaints from committee members regarding deteriorating mobile services. Committee member Mahesh Kumar said the quality of mobile service had declined significantly across the country, adding that conditions were unsatisfactory in Punjab and even worse in Sindh.
Committee member Sadiq Memon also criticized the quality of mobile services, stating that call quality remains poor even in major cities such as Islamabad and Karachi, while some mobile networks in Karachi are performing particularly badly.
During the meeting, Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja acknowledged the issues, describing them as fundamental challenges. She said that consumers in Pakistan have relatively low average monthly spending on telecom services, while data usage has increased considerably.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman informed the committee that the authority is conducting district-level quality-of-service surveys, but admitted that it cannot yet claim that the situation has improved. He expressed hope that the rollout of 5G services would gradually enhance the quality of mobile connectivity.
The Federal Minister further stated that following the 5G spectrum auction, the next phase would involve practical deployment. However, she noted that the import of telecom infrastructure and a lack of investment remain significant obstacles. She also revealed that around 9,000 incidents of mobile tower theft were reported last year, with some towers being completely destroyed.
The PTA Chairman added that electricity load shedding of up to 18 hours in some parts of the country is also disrupting telecom services. He said the government is additionally working on a plan to expand fiber-optic connectivity for universities.
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