Key points
- PTA surveyed mobile service quality in 19 cities across Pakistan during Q2 2025
- First-ever QoS survey conducted on Lahore-Rawalpindi and Peshawar-Rawalpindi railway routes
- CMOs ranked based on coverage, voice quality, and broadband speed using automated monitoring tools
- PTA issued corrective instructions to operators and published detailed results for public access
ISLAMABAD: In order to measure the performance and quality of services being provided by Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs), the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) conducted an independent Quality of Service (QoS) survey in 19 cities across Pakistan during the second quarter of 2025.
In a landmark initiative aimed at enhancing mobile service quality for train passengers, PTA also carried out its first-ever QoS survey along two of Pakistan’s busiest railway corridors: Lahore-Rawalpindi and Peshawar-Rawalpindi.
These routes are critical for daily intercity travel, serving thousands of passengers. The objective was to evaluate and improve voice and data services during transit, ensuring reliable connectivity for users who depend on mobile networks for communication, work, and entertainment while on the move.
During the survey, mobile handsets were kept in auto-detect technology mode to conduct voice calls, SMS, and mobile broadband/data sessions.
Automated monitoring and benchmarking
This was done using a state-of-the-art automated QoS monitoring and benchmarking tool to measure compliance with the Next Generation Mobile Service (NGMS) licenses as well as the Cellular Mobile Network QoS Regulations, 2021.
The railway routes were selected based on their strategic importance and high passenger volume.
Based on the compliance level of each Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in the surveyed cities, as measured against thresholds defined in the respective licenses and QoS regulations, CMOs were ranked from 1st to 4th position in the categories of Mobile Network Coverage and Voice Services. In the Mobile Broadband Speed segment, rankings were determined based on data download/upload speed, network latency, and webpage loading time.
Corrective actions
Following the survey, necessary instructions have been issued to CMOs to take corrective actions to improve their service quality in line with regulatory standards. The detailed survey results have been made available on the PTA’s official website for public information.
The PTA continues to carry out nationwide service quality monitoring through its field teams with the objective of ensuring better mobile services for consumers and promoting healthy competition among mobile network operators.
