The federal government has constituted a high-level committee to explore exempting telecom towers from electricity load shedding, a move aimed at preventing prolonged power outages from disrupting mobile and internet services across the country.
The committee, headed by the Secretary for Information Technology and Telecommunication, has been formed on the recommendation of the Auction Advisory Committee. Its members include the Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), a representative of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), officials from the Power Division, and representatives of the telecom industry.
The panel has been tasked with proposing practical measures to ensure uninterrupted electricity for telecom infrastructure. Among the options under consideration is providing mobile towers with a dedicated electricity supply that remains operational even when distribution feeders are shut down for load shedding.
Officials noted that telecom operators have maintained a full record of electricity bill payments and are not defaulters, yet their networks continue to be affected by scheduled power outages.
The committee will also examine whether telecom infrastructure should be placed under an industrial electricity tariff to improve the sector’s operational viability.
According to officials, several parts of the country continue to face load shedding of up to 14 hours a day. While telecom companies can typically keep towers operational using backup power for three to four hours, longer outages lead to service interruptions as generators and batteries reach their limits.
The committee has been directed to submit its recommendations to the federal government within three months.
PTA officials warned that extended power cuts in multiple regions are already affecting the quality and availability of telecom services, arguing that mobile towers should be treated as critical infrastructure and exempted from load shedding.
Separately, officials from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication proposed making solar power systems mandatory at telecom tower sites to reduce dependence on the national grid.
Senator Kamran Murtaza also pointed to deteriorating law and order conditions in some areas as another factor contributing to telecom service disruptions.
