The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has recovered Rs. 13.6 million in penalties from Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) for failing to meet quality-of-service standards, according to an official document from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. The fines were part of regulatory actions taken against four major telecom operators—Zong, Jazz, Ufone, and Telenor—following performance evaluations and compliance checks.
Regulatory Actions and Penalties
The PTA imposed a total of Rs. 68.9 million in penalties, with Zong receiving the largest fine of Rs. 68.9 million. In addition, the regulator issued 17 warning letters and 39 Show Cause Notices (SCNs) to the operators. Telenor received the highest number of warnings (6) and SCNs (14).
Legal proceedings are ongoing in 11 cases that remain sub judice, involving Zong (5 cases), Ufone (3 cases), Telenor (2 cases), and Jazz (1 case). Furthermore, Rs. 32.015 million has been pledged in escrow as a bank guarantee by one of the operators.
Challenges Impacting Service Quality
The PTA highlighted several challenges affecting service quality, including power outages, inflation, theft, volatile security conditions, and network closures. These factors have contributed to delays and a decline in service quality in various regions.
Measures to Improve Service Delivery
To address these issues, the PTA has implemented a comprehensive strategy to enhance telecom services. Over the past six years, 12,000 new cell sites have been installed nationwide to improve coverage and network performance. Advanced technologies such as sector splitting, massive MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output), and services like VoWiFi, WiFi offloading, and VoLTE have been introduced to optimize data traffic and improve call quality.
The regulator has also phased out 3G services in selected areas to better utilize the available spectrum and promote advanced technologies. National roaming tests have been conducted along coastal highways, and a nationwide OSS KPIs analysis has been carried out to monitor and improve network performance.
Consumer Complaint Resolution
To ensure accountability and address public grievances, the PTA has deployed an online consumer complaint resolution mechanism. This system enables timely redressal of complaints and enhances transparency in service delivery.
