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Internet quality poor even in major cities, NA panel told

Parliamentary committees in Pakistan have expressed concern over the quality of internet services, with officials citing power outages and infrastructure gaps, even as the telecom regulator reports progress on 5G and local smartphone manufacturing. The discussions also covered e-SIM transfers, SIM registration, and consumer liability for gas leakage.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 15–17, 2026 Published Aug 15

Lead

Pakistan's telecom services came under renewed scrutiny in parliament this week as two committees heard concerns about poor internet quality, power outages affecting mobile networks, and the slow rollout of 5G. While officials acknowledged significant gaps in connectivity, they also pointed to progress, including the launch of 5G in 22 cities and the local assembly of most smartphones sold in the country.

Coverage Comparison

Dawn reported on two separate parliamentary meetings. In one, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication expressed serious concern over the unsatisfactory state of internet services, noting that poor connectivity was affecting not only remote areas but also major cities such as Karachi. In another, the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat discussed telecom issues including e-SIM transfers, 5G rollout, and mobile network quality. Both meetings featured briefings from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Hafeezur Rehman.

Key Claims

Internet Quality and Power Outages

The National Assembly committee observed that users frequently experienced slow internet speeds and repeated call connection failures despite multiple attempts. The committee noted that one of the major challenges affecting mobile and broadband services was a shortage of electricity for basic telecommunications infrastructure. Prolonged power outages adversely affected the performance of mobile towers, resulting in poor internet connectivity and disruptions in mobile services. Members noted that in certain areas, loadshedding of up to 10 hours a day significantly affected telecom services.

PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman told the committee that the matter had been taken up with Nepra and the relevant power distribution companies. The committee proposed that alternative energy sources, particularly wind energy, should be used to power telecom infrastructure.

5G Rollout

Rehman briefed the National Assembly committee that the total available spectrum had increased from 274MHz to 754MHz after the 5G spectrum auction. He said telecom operators had launched 5G services in 22 cities, but acknowledged that no new infrastructure had been deployed so far, with 5G enabled on existing mobile towers and network infrastructure. New infrastructure would be deployed in subsequent phases, improving quality and speed over the next six to eight months.

In the Senate panel meeting, the PTA informed members that 499 5G-enabled sites had been deployed and that operators expected visible 5G coverage across major areas by the end of the current year. The migration of users to 5G was also expected to significantly improve the quality of existing 4G services.

Smartphone Manufacturing

The PTA claimed that 92 per cent of smartphones in Pakistan are now locally manufactured or assembled. The National Assembly committee asked the IT ministry to encourage Apple and other brands to assemble locally, a move that could potentially make devices more affordable and boost the local economy.

E-SIM Transfers and SIM Registration

The Senate panel discussed the transfer of e-SIM cards from one phone to another, a process currently restricted by telecom operators. Rehman informed the committee that operators followed different policies, allowing only limited transfers. A uniform policy was being finalised to enable consumers to make at least 10 transfers without cost.

The committee also asked the PTA to explore alternative mechanisms for SIM registration, amid broader concerns about the sector.

Market Consolidation

Senate committee members expressed concerns over increasing consolidation in the telecom sector, warning that mergers could reduce competition and ultimately affect consumers. The PTA maintained that the sector remained deregulated and competitive, adding that competition was expected to reduce e-SIM costs in the future.

Other Business

The National Assembly committee deferred the Electronic Transactions amendment bill due to lack of political consensus. Separately, Ogra clarified that consumers bear responsibility for leakage of metered gas, a statement that came in the context of related consumer concerns.

Context

These parliamentary discussions come as Pakistan's telecom sector navigates the dual challenges of improving connectivity and expanding services amid energy shortages. The emphasis on 5G and local manufacturing signals a push towards digital transformation, but the concerns raised by lawmakers highlight the infrastructure and affordability hurdles that remain.

How this outlet told it

Dawn as of Jul 15, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC

Framing: Concern over internet services and power outages — Critical

Facts Included:

National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication expressed concern over internet services
PTA claims 92pc smartphones in Pakistan locally manufactured or assembled
Panel asks IT ministry to encourage Apple to assemble locally
Electronic Transactions amendment bill deferred
Power outages affecting mobile towers and telecom services
PTA chairman briefed on 5G spectrum auction and deployment

Read the source article →

Dawn as of Jul 17, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC

Framing: Senate panel discussion on telecom sector — Informative

Facts Included:

Senate panel discussion on e-SIM card transfer
PTA exploration of alternative mechanism for SIM registration
Ogra clarification on consumer liability for metered gas leakage
PTA expectation of visible 5G coverage by year-end
Committee concern over consolidation in telecom sector

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication expressed concern over the unsatisfactory state of internet services in the country.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 15, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC
ClaimPTA claims 92pc smartphones in Pakistan are locally manufactured or assembled.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 15, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC
ClaimThe committee proposed that alternative energy sources, particularly wind energy, should be utilised to power telecom infrastructure.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 15, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC
ClaimPower outages are affecting mobile towers and telecom services.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 15, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC
ClaimThe Electronic Transactions amendment bill was deferred due to lack of political consensus.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 15, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC
ClaimThe Senate panel discussed the issue of e-SIM card transfer and asked PTA to explore alternative mechanisms for SIM registration.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 17, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC
ClaimPTA expects visible 5G coverage across major areas by the end of the current year.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 17, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC
ClaimOgra clarified that responsibility for leakage of metered gas rests with consumers.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 17, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC
ClaimThe committee directed the PTA to facilitate greater affordability of 5G-enabled devices for consumers.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 17, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC
ClaimThe PTA chairman suggested the use of Low-Earth-Orbit satellite technology to improve connectivity in remote and unserved areas.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of Jul 17, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: Dawn 10 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15