Pakistan’s latest Mobile Network Experience Benchmarking Report for the first quarter of 2026 shows Zong delivering the most consistent overall mobile network performance nationwide, based on extensive real-user measurements collected across the country.
The benchmarking study, published by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and prepared by Opensignal, analyzed 1.23 billion samples gathered from smartphone users between January 1 and March 31, 2026 across 159 districts.
National Mobile Experience Snapshot
According to the report, Pakistan’s national mobile experience averages were recorded as:
- Download speed (all devices): 18.60 Mbps
- Download speed (high-end devices): 30.20 Mbps
- Upload speed: 5.81 Mbps
- Video experience: 44.97 points
- Games experience: 40.93 points
- Time on network: 94.21%
The benchmarking relies on crowdsourced real-world usage data reflecting everyday consumer activity such as video streaming, gaming, and web browsing rather than controlled laboratory testing.
Operator Performance at the National Level
Across the five benchmark indicators — download speed, upload speed, video experience, games experience, and time on network — Zong recorded the strongest overall performance.
National Rankings by Category
| Category | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Download Speed | Zong | Jazz | Ufone | Telenor |
| Upload Speed | Zong | Jazz | Ufone | Telenor |
| Video Experience | Zong | Jazz | Ufone | Telenor |
| Games Experience | Ufone | Zong | Jazz | Telenor |
| Time on Network | Zong | Ufone | Jazz | Telenor |
Zong achieved the highest national download speed at 18.62 Mbps, upload speed of 7.65 Mbps, and the strongest availability with 96.82% time on network.
Jazz remained competitive in speed and video performance, while Ufone stood out as the leading network for multiplayer mobile gaming experience. Telenor recorded comparatively lower national speed results despite isolated strengths in availability.
Performance Across Major Cities
Islamabad and Rawalpindi
Jazz delivered the fastest download speeds and strongest video experience in both twin cities. Ufone led gaming performance, while Zong achieved the highest time-on-network scores, indicating stronger connection consistency.
Lahore
Zong led all five benchmarking metrics in Lahore, including download speed, upload speed, video streaming quality, gaming experience, and availability.
Karachi
Zong recorded the fastest download and upload speeds and the highest availability. Jazz ranked first in video experience, while Ufone dominated gaming performance.
Peshawar
Jazz topped download speed, upload speed, and video experience. Ufone again led gaming performance, and Zong recorded the highest network availability.
Quetta
Jazz achieved the highest download and upload speeds as well as the strongest video experience, while Zong led time on network and Ufone ranked first in gaming.
Faisalabad
Faisalabad emerged as one of the most competitive markets, with Zong leading across all key performance indicators.
Multan Among Strongest Performing Cities
Multan produced one of the strongest overall city performances in the report. Zong recorded:
- Download speed: 21.64 Mbps
- Upload speed: 10.09 Mbps
- Video experience: 50.61
- Time on network: 98.32%
Ufone achieved the top gaming experience score in the city.
Results from Other Cities
- Gujranwala: Zong led download speed, gaming, and availability; Jazz topped upload speed; Ufone ranked highest in video experience.
- Hyderabad: Jazz led upload and video performance, Ufone led gaming, while Zong achieved the strongest availability.
- Sukkur: Zong led most performance indicators, while Jazz narrowly topped video experience.
- Abbottabad: Jazz led speed and video quality, Ufone topped gaming, and Zong recorded the highest availability.
Northern and Coastal Regions
The benchmarking results also highlighted varying performance outcomes outside major metropolitan centers.
- Gwadar: Zong led speed and video metrics, Ufone ranked first in gaming, and Telenor recorded the highest time on network at 99.69%.
- Muzaffarabad: Five operators including SCO were assessed; Zong led speeds, Telenor achieved the highest video experience, and Ufone ranked first in gaming performance.
- Gilgit: Zong recorded the fastest download speed, Jazz led upload speed, video experience, and availability, while Ufone topped gaming scores.
Overall Findings
The PTA benchmarking results show that no single operator dominates every performance category nationwide. However, Zong demonstrated the most consistent results across speed, video quality, and network availability metrics during the first quarter of 2026.
Jazz remained a strong competitor in several urban markets, Ufone maintained leadership in gaming experience, and Telenor showed selective strengths despite weaker national speed figures.
The report primarily presents comparative performance data, allowing users to assess mobile network experience across operators and cities based on real-world usage conditions.
