National Assembly committee expresses concern over persistent connectivity problems in Karachi, Islamabad and smaller cities as PTA cites power outages and network deficiencies.
Islamabad, November 3, 2026: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued five show-cause notices to telecom operators over poor internet services during the past three months, as persistent connectivity problems continue across Pakistan.
PTA Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeez ur Rehman disclosed this during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology on Tuesday, chaired by MNA Syed Amin ul Haq.
The committee expressed serious concern over the unsatisfactory quality of internet services, observing that despite efforts over the past two years, connectivity had not improved to the required standard.
Members highlighted persistent internet problems in major cities, including Karachi and Islamabad, as well as smaller cities and remote districts where services were reportedly almost non-existent in certain areas.
The committee also pointed to frequent signal drops during WhatsApp calls, affecting communication and connectivity for users.
Responding to the concerns, the PTA chairman said the authority had conducted surveys across different areas and identified shortcomings in telecom services.
Telecom operators had been directed to improve their Quality of Service (QoS) within three months wherever deficiencies were identified. Operators failing to demonstrate improvements in subsequent surveys were issued show-cause notices.
However, recovery of financial penalties remained pending because some telecom operators had approached courts and obtained stay orders, delaying the process.
The PTA chairman also identified prolonged electricity outages as a major factor behind poor telecom services. He said rural areas experiencing load-shedding for 12 to 16 hours daily faced disruptions in telecom tower operations, directly affecting internet connectivity.
5G rollout and network upgrades
Briefing the committee on infrastructure development, the PTA chairman said network upgrades had accelerated following the 5G spectrum auction.
He disclosed that approximately 70 per cent of 5G services in Karachi had been rolled out, while around 2,300 telecom towers had been upgraded to support the technology.
He said infrastructure development and spectrum-related improvements were being implemented in phases, expressing confidence that these measures would improve telecom service quality over the longer term.
Digital master plan and legislative developments
The committee also reviewed the Electronic Transactions Amendment Bill, 2026. A Ministry of Law and Justice representative informed members that consultations with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) were under way to finalise proposed amendments.
The committee agreed to defer consideration of the bill until its next meeting, pending completion of the consultations.
Separately, the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) briefed members on the National Digital Master Plan, which has been approved by the National Digital Commission.
The plan is structured around three pillars: Digital Society, Digital Economy and Digital Governance.
These pillars aim to expand citizens’ access to digital services, promote technology-driven economic growth and improve transparency, institutional efficiency and public service delivery.
The PDA said it would develop a comprehensive digital roadmap, including key performance indicators and implementation targets for federal and provincial institutions.
All relevant departments and organisations would be required to align their digitalisation initiatives with the national framework to ensure coordinated implementation across Pakistan.