The Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom chaired by Senator Sadia Abbasi, has directed the PTA and relevant bodies to take immediate steps to protect telecom infrastructure.
The committee signalled a possible amendment to the Essential Services Act to formally include mobile and internet services alongside electricity and gas as protected essential services.
Senator Sadia Abbasi stated that internet access is now a necessity for every citizen and that public dissatisfaction with internet speed and service quality remains widespread across Pakistan.
PTA officials told the committee that load shedding has become one of the biggest operational challenges facing telecom industry, with durations increasing significantly in recent months.
The PTA Director confirmed that telecom operators, despite being non-defaulters on electricity bills, are experiencing up to 12 hours of daily power cuts across various areas.
Officials stated that telecom operators can sustain battery backup for only one to two hours, meaning extended load shedding directly disrupts both mobile and internet services.
The PTA demanded that telecom operators be guaranteed uninterrupted electricity supply so that service quality for consumers across the country can be meaningfully and consistently improved.
PTA briefed the committee that more than 9,200 diesel theft incidents at telecom towers were recorded across Pakistan during the past 11 months alone.
USF officials confirmed that out of more than 4,000 mobile towers, 330 recorded theft incidents, including 229 towers located specifically within Balochistan province.
Officials further disclosed that 90 telecom towers have experienced repeated theft incidents, pointing to a pattern of organised criminal activity at specific and targeted sites.
