The government has rejected suggestions that Balochistan’s mobile and internet coverage has remained poor in recent years. Officials argue that regular surveys, strict monitoring, and new infrastructure projects are steadily improving services across the province.
According to official figures, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) carried out 23 Quality of Service (QoS) surveys in Balochistan during the last three years. Nine surveys were conducted in 2022-23, followed by eight in 2024.
Two more surveys have already been completed this year, while another two are scheduled before December. These surveys covered several cities and flagged weak service areas needing urgent attention.
The findings revealed unsatisfactory performance in multiple regions. PTA immediately passed these results to mobile operators, directing them to fix network gaps. In areas still underserved, cases were forwarded to the Universal Service Fund (USF) to ensure new telecom infrastructure.
The minister in charge of the Cabinet Division explained that poor service cannot be traced to one reason alone. Instead, problems stem from limited spectrum, low fiber-to-tower ratios, outages, rising demand, Right of Way (RoW) restrictions, and repeated incidents of theft and vandalism. To enforce standards, PTA issued 39 show-cause notices over the past five years, which resulted in penalties worth Rs. 68.9 million.
Despite these hurdles, progress has been visible. More than 700 new sites have been rolled out in Balochistan within three years. Operators are also required to expand coverage by at least three percent of the additional population every year.
To enhance service quality, the government has encouraged advanced technologies such as Massive MIMO, sector splitting, VoWiFi, and VoLTE. Mandatory fiberization along the Karachi-Gwadar Coastal Highway and spectrum auctions are also strengthening connectivity.
Monitoring has grown tighter as well. PTA has adopted Opensignal to track crowd-sourced performance data, supplementing operator-reported metrics. A central Complaint Management System (CMS) now handles grievances through multiple channels, including a website, toll-free number, mobile app, and fax.
The minister assured lawmakers that telecom expansion will continue in Balochistan. With stricter monitoring and new technologies, the government expects steady improvements in both mobile coverage and internet quality.