Pakistan Telecommunication Authority fines mobile and internet companies over 3.41 billion rupees

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has imposed fines exceeding 3.41 billion rupees on mobile and internet service providers following consumer complaints regarding poor quality of service. Over the past four years, the regulator conducted more than 700 surveys, including 500 quality of service assessments across cities, rural areas, highways, and railway tracks, as well as 200 surveys triggered by public complaints.

In addition to the financial penalties, the PTA issued 86 show-cause notices and 20 warning letters. The regulator has ordered companies to eliminate coverage gaps in cities like Islamabad and Rawalpindi by October 2026 and mandated the installation of 1,000 new sites annually per company. To improve speeds, the 480 MHz spectrum has been increased to support 4G speeds up to 120 Mbps and 5G speeds up to 150 Mbps.

Challenges facing service providers include electricity load shedding, theft of equipment from towers, and 'Right of Way' disputes, which reportedly keep 17% of the country's 9,000 mobile sites inactive. The situation is noted to be most severe in KP, Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan.