A new Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) report has revealed significant differences in mobile network performance across Pakistan, with Zong recording the highest national 4G download and upload speeds in the second quarter of 2026.
The Mobile Network Experience Benchmarking Report, based on 90 days of independent measurements by Opensignal, evaluated Jazz, Telenor, Ufone and Zong on several indicators, including download speed, upload speed, video experience, gaming experience and time on network.
Zong posted an average national 4G download speed of 18.55 Mbps, ahead of Jazz at 17.61 Mbps. Ufone recorded 12.82 Mbps, while Telenor stood at 7.5 Mbps.
Zong also topped the upload category with an average speed of 7.81 Mbps. Jazz followed with 6.26 Mbps, Ufone with 4.42 Mbps and Telenor with 2.82 Mbps.
The difference between operators was much narrower in video experience. Zong scored 41.66 out of 100, just above Jazz at 41.51. Ufone recorded the highest games experience score at 50.08, followed by Zong at 47.28.
Zong also had the highest time on network, with users connected to a mobile data network for 96.59 percent of the time. Jazz recorded 93.33 percent, Telenor 92.58 percent and Ufone 92.16 percent.
Across all operators, the national average 4G download speed was 18.9 Mbps. The figure increased to 31.3 Mbps when measured on high-end devices, while average upload speed stood at 5.32 Mbps.
The overall national 4G video experience score was 37.53 out of 100, while the games experience score was 43.85. Users had a mobile data connection for an average of 93.67 percent of the time.
The report also examined 5G performance. The national average 5G download speed was 127.74 Mbps, while upload speed averaged 12.7 Mbps. The average video experience score was 67.33 and games experience stood at 62.05.
However, PTA said the 5G figures should be viewed as indicative because the technology remains in its early deployment phase. Limited coverage and a relatively small user base mean the results do not yet provide a complete picture of nationwide 5G performance.
Performance also varied considerably between cities. Zong led all five measured categories in Lahore and Multan. In Karachi, it topped download speed, upload speed and time on network, while Jazz led video experience and Ufone topped gaming.
Jazz led download and video experience in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, while Zong recorded the highest upload speed and time on network in both cities.
Zong also led all five categories in Gujranwala and Sialkot. Hyderabad recorded one of the closest download-speed contests, with Jazz at 18.54 Mbps compared with Zong at 18.46 Mbps.
In Mirpur, Skardu and Muzaffarabad, where SCO is also included in the assessment, Zong recorded the highest download speeds of 19.06 Mbps, 14.76 Mbps and 14.7 Mbps respectively.
PTA said the benchmarking used measurements from real smartphone users in indoor and outdoor locations and during both busy and off-peak periods. The methodology excluded certain unusual measurements and roaming and mobile virtual network operator users.
The authority also clarified that time on network measures how often users had a 3G, 4G or 5G data connection in locations they commonly visited. It does not represent an operator’s total geographical coverage or guarantee signal availability in remote areas.
PTA noted that the findings reflect users’ quality of experience and may differ from results obtained through its controlled quality-of-service surveys and drive tests.
