Overview
- The National Assembly standing committee on IT and telecommunication told operators on Tuesday that persistent slow internet and frequent call failures are unacceptable and summoned Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited to explain its performance.
- The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said operators have enabled 5G across 22 cities using existing towers and that total licensed spectrum rose from 274 MHz to 754 MHz after this year’s auction.
- PTA told lawmakers dedicated 5G infrastructure will be added gradually over the next six to eight months while the regulator has started collecting network data daily to spot tower outages.
- Lawmakers pressed for immediate steps to keep towers powered after PTA reported up to 10 hours of load shedding in some areas and the prime minister formed a high-level committee to secure uninterrupted electricity to telecom sites.
- The committee urged lower handset taxes to boost digital access but PTA clarified taxes are set by the Federal Board of Revenue and noted about 92% of phones in use are assembled locally, a factor that could influence any tax or manufacturing incentives.