BeNewz
Related Articles
–PTA survey finds Telenor lagging behind competitors in network quality, broadband performance and 4G coverage across multiple cities
Aftab Maken
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s mobile telecom sector continues to face service quality challenges despite expanding 4G coverage, with Telenor emerging as the weakest performer among the country’s four major cellular operators, according to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) independent Quality of Service (QoS) survey for the first quarter of 2026.
The survey assessed network performance across 18 cities nationwide and evaluated operators against the Cellular Mobile Network QoS Regulations 2021. Results showed Telenor achieving only 78 percent compliance across 216 key performance indicator (KPI) checks, significantly below industry leaders Jazz and Zong, which recorded compliance rates of 95 percent and 93 percent, respectively. Ufone followed with 89 percent compliance.
The findings highlight persistent shortcomings in mobile broadband quality, network coverage and customer experience, particularly in smaller cities and underserved regions.
According to the survey, Telenor recorded the weakest mobile data performance among all operators. The company consistently ranked last in download and upload speed tests conducted in auto-mode across most surveyed cities. In several locations, download speeds barely exceeded the PTA’s minimum benchmark of 4 Mbps.
The regulator also rejected Telenor’s testing methodology in five cities — Swabi, Rawalpindi, Hub, Hyderabad and Pir Mahal — after determining that the operator had failed to comply with PTA testing requirements. As a result, data from those locations was not considered in the final assessment.
Coverage deficiencies were another major concern. Telenor recorded the highest number of non-compliant 4G coverage results, failing to meet the required 90 percent confidence threshold in seven cities. The operator also ranked second or lower in overall network coverage standings in most surveyed areas.
The report further noted recurring latency and browsing issues on Telenor’s network. The operator frequently exceeded the regulator’s 75-millisecond latency benchmark during testing and failed webpage loading performance indicators in nine cities, affecting overall user experience.
While all operators generally met basic voice service standards, Telenor showed comparatively weaker performance in several voice-related KPIs, including call setup success rates and Mean Opinion Score (MOS), a key measure of call quality.
The survey also identified performance issues among competing operators. In Zhob, Jazz recorded an overall KPI compliance rate of just 58 percent, one of the lowest city-specific results in the report. Loralai witnessed multiple operators falling short of both voice and data benchmarks, while Ghazi and Mailsi highlighted coverage and speed deficiencies, particularly affecting Telenor subscribers.
Despite leading overall rankings, Jazz faced coverage shortfalls in Malakwal and failed several service indicators in Zhob. Zong, which performed strongly in upload speeds and overall compliance, experienced occasional latency spikes, while Ufone showed inconsistent voice service quality in selected locations.
The PTA survey involved more than 43,000 voice and SMS tests along with hundreds of thousands of mobile broadband samples, making it one of the most comprehensive assessments of network quality conducted in the country.
The findings suggest that although Pakistan’s telecom operators have expanded network footprints and improved 4G availability, service quality remains uneven. Consumers in many smaller cities continue to experience inconsistent broadband speeds, higher latency and network reliability issues.
PTA officials emphasized that all cellular operators are required to comply with the quality thresholds outlined in the QoS Regulations 2021. The latest results indicate that while Jazz and Zong remain the strongest performers overall, significant improvements are still needed across the industry.
The report particularly underscores the need for Telenor to address persistent shortcomings in coverage, broadband speeds and service reliability if it is to close the widening performance gap with its competitors and meet regulatory expectations for nationwide service quality.
