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Aftab Maken
ISLAMABAD: Telecom regulator found widespread quality-of-service shortcomings among cellular operators during the first quarter of 2026, with Telenor recording the weakest overall compliance and operators struggling to meet key network performance standards.
Pakistan’s mobile network operators continue to fall short of regulatory quality standards, with Telenor emerging as the weakest performer in the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) independent Quality of Service (QoS) survey for the first quarter of 2026.
The survey, conducted across 18 cities in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, assessed more than 43,000 voice calls and SMS messages along with hundreds of thousands of mobile broadband data samples.
The findings revealed widespread non-compliance with the Cellular Mobile Network QoS Regulations 2021 in network coverage, broadband performance, voice quality and latency.
According to the report, Jazz achieved the highest overall compliance, meeting 95% of the tested key performance indicators (KPIs). Zong followed with 93%, while Ufone recorded 89%. Telenor ranked last, achieving only 78% compliance after meeting 169 of 216 evaluated KPIs.
The regulator also questioned Telenor’s testing methodology in Swabi, Rawalpindi, Hub, Hyderabad and Pir Mahal, stating that the operator’s data collection process in those cities could not be aligned with PTA requirements. As a result, the results from those locations were excluded from the official evaluation.
The survey also highlighted mobile broadband as one of the weakest areas across operators. While Jazz consistently delivered the strongest download and upload speeds, Telenor frequently ranked last and, in several locations, struggled to achieve the minimum 4 Mbps download speed required under regulatory benchmarks. Network latency also remained a concern. Zong recorded latency exceeding 160 milliseconds in cities including Islamabad and Ghazi, well above the PTA threshold of 75 milliseconds.
In some cases, latency reached several hundred milliseconds, affecting browsing, video streaming and other real-time internet applications. Coverage performance also varied considerably. Zong and Ufone delivered relatively stronger 4G coverage across surveyed cities, while Telenor recorded the highest number of non-compliant locations where signal confidence levels failed to meet the regulator’s minimum 90% requirement. Voice services also fell short of required standards in several cities.
The PTA identified non-compliance in Mean Opinion Score (MOS), call setup time and call completion ratio, with Ufone and Telenor recording the largest number of voice-related deficiencies. Several cities, including Zhob, Loralai, Mailsi and Ghazi, registered multiple KPI failures across operators.
In the category-wise rankings, Jazz led mobile broadband performance and SMS reliability, while Zong achieved the strongest overall voice service performance. Ufone ranked lowest in voice quality, whereas Telenor consistently placed last in broadband performance and overall regulatory compliance.
The findings come despite continued investment announcements by mobile operators to expand network capacity and improve customer experience. The PTA said numerous KPI checks, particularly in smaller cities and underserved regions, failed to meet the standards set under the Cellular Mobile Network Quality of Service Regulations 2021.
The latest survey reinforces long-standing consumer complaints over slow internet speeds, dropped calls, weak signals and inconsistent mobile services. The regulator’s findings are expected to increase pressure on operators, particularly Telenor, to strengthen network infrastructure and improve service quality across the country as demand for high-speed mobile connectivity continues to grow.
