The PTA’s Q2 2026 survey highlights mobile coverage gaps, power outages and infrastructure challenges affecting connectivity in rural and remote areas.
ISLAMABAD, September 18, 2026: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has identified significant digital inclusion gaps in rural and remote areas, including unserved locations, prolonged power outages and infrastructure-related challenges.
The regulator released its Quality of Service (QoS) Survey results for the second quarter of 2026, covering April to June. The assessment covered major cities, focused and rural areas, as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
Conducted under the Cellular Mobile Network QoS Regulations 2021, the surveys evaluated all Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) against licensed key performance indicators (KPIs) for mobile coverage, broadband, voice and SMS services.
PTA conducts extensive QoS testing
PTA field teams carried out extensive testing across different parts of the country.
In 11 major cities, teams tested approximately 27,300 voice calls and SMS, along with around 190,000 broadband samples.
In focused and rural areas, the regulator conducted about 3,300 voice and SMS tests and 24,000 broadband samples.
The survey also covered six high-altitude locations in AJK and GB, where around 4,100 voice and SMS tests and 3,960 broadband samples were conducted.
According to the PTA, the rural surveys highlighted critical digital inclusion gaps and identified locations where mobile coverage remains unavailable or insufficient.
Infrastructure and power challenges persist
The regulator said several factors continue to affect telecommunications services in remote areas.
These include prolonged load-shedding, theft and vandalism of telecom infrastructure, fibre cuts, right-of-way (RoW) constraints and security limitations.
The PTA said efforts were under way to improve connectivity in unserved and underserved areas through the Universal Service Fund (USF).
It is also coordinating with federal and provincial governments to streamline RoW approvals and develop solutions for uninterrupted commercial power supplies to telecommunications infrastructure.
Strong voice and SMS compliance
The Q2 2026 survey results showed strong compliance with voice and SMS KPIs nationwide, although disparities were observed in mobile broadband performance.
The PTA said legal action had been initiated against operators found to be non-compliant, while strict directives had also been issued to ensure adherence to licensed service parameters.
The regulator has completed separate QoS reports covering cities, focused and rural areas, and AJK and GB, and published them on its official website for public information and transparency.
The PTA said the surveys reaffirm its commitment to protecting consumer interests, encouraging technological advancement by telecom operators and maintaining high service standards across Pakistan.