Members of the National Assembly’s IT and telecom committee told PTA and the mobile operators at their latest meeting that network quality is going backwards. One lawmaker said 4G stopped working properly after 5G services began, and another said even WhatsApp calls drop in Islamabad.
The Standing Committee on Information Technology, chaired by Syed Amin ul Haq, ended the session with an order that operators improve service immediately and that there be no compromise on quality. PTA’s chairman and IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja answered for the regulator and the government.
Ahmed Ateeq was the most blunt. He said networks do not work in his constituency or on the way to Karachi, that the committee has been discussing the problem for two and a half years, and that he wanted figures on how much fibre was laid in that time. Another member said 3G does not function in Thatta. Aasia Ishaq asked whether members should go to the Supreme Court for relief. “Every meeting ends and the network gets even worse,” one member said.
The committee had already summoned Jazz, Zong and Ufone in September, when Amin ul Haq told Arab News that show-cause notices and warning letters were not enough and that PTA should impose financial penalties.
PTA’s chairman said the regulator has been touring districts to inspect service. He acknowledged that PTA treats show-cause notices as its last resort, and said operators obtain court injunctions against fines. He also named power outages as a major obstacle to keeping towers running.
The minister called the members’ frustration valid but said telecom services are gradually improving, and invited them to send formal policy recommendations. She also pointed out that even the US lacks coverage along motorways and highways. The IT secretary told the committee that upload and download speeds have risen over the past two years.
Ishaq’s claim is the line most readers will relate to, since many people still depend on 4G. It was a lawmaker’s remark, though. The reports of the meeting mention no technical assessment linking the 5G rollout to worse 4G performance, and neither PTA nor the operators were quoted agreeing with it.
The committee also touched briefly on the PDA Amendment Bill. The Law Secretary said consultations with the Pakistan People’s Party are under way and called it a top priority for the next parliamentary session.
