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Amid deteriorating telecom services in the country, cellular mobile operators (CMOs) have only partially met key performance indicators (KPIs) set in their licenses and applicable regulations regarding voice services, webpage loading, and latency, an independent Quality of Service (QoS) survey carried out by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has revealed.
Official sources disclosed that since the start of these surveys, CMOs have yet to meet all KPIs. The PTA initially issued show-cause notices and later imposed penalties on operators; however, since August 2023, the authority has not imposed any penalties, despite the poor quality of service being evident in the PTA’s own surveys.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) conducted an independent Quality of Service (QoS) survey in 17 cities and 2 major roads of Pakistan during the third quarter of 2025. During this exercise, the performance of cellular mobile operators was assessed in accordance with the Cellular Mobile Network QoS Regulations 2021.
The survey comprised approximately 46,000 voice calls and SMS, while around 0.33 million samples were analyzed to measure the broadband performance of CMOs.
The Quality of Service survey was conducted across 17 cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Balochistan, and Sindh, along with 2 road routes in Punjab, between July and September 2025. Survey routes were carefully selected to cover the maximum population areas of the respective cities for a comprehensive assessment.
During the survey, quality of service tests were conducted across multiple domains, including voice, mobile broadband (covering throughput, latency, and web browsing), and Short Messaging Service (SMS), to evaluate overall network performance and user experience.
Hereʼs a detailed, structured explanation of the PTA Quality of Service Survey document.
Document Overview:
- The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) conducted an independent Quality of Service (QoS) Survey across 17 cities and 2 roads in Pakistan during Q3 2025.
- The survey evaluates the performance of Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs): Jazz, Telenor, Ufone, and Zong.
- Tests included approximately 46,000 voice calls/SMS and 0.33 million broadband samples.
- The main focus was on voice, mobile broadband, SMS, latency, webpage loading, and network coverage.
Survey Methodology:
- Cities Surveyed: Spread across all major provinces (KPK, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan).
- Duration/Distance: 74 days, 2664 km of travel.
- KPIs Tested:
- Voice: MOS (Mean Opinion Score), CCT (Call Connection Time), CSSR (Call Setup Success Rate), CST (Call Setup Time)
- Data: Download/Upload, Latency, Webpage Loading Time
Key Results and Detailed Chart Explanations:
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Network Coverage (4G + 3G)
- 4G Signal Confidence Level: Measured per city per operator. Threshold for compliance: 90% signal strength.
- Zong: 1st place with 15 compliant cities (best signal reliability)
- Jazz: 2nd place, 13 cities
- Ufone: 3rd, 12 cities
- Telenor: 4th, 6 cities
- 3G Signal Confidence Level: Only relevant where phones fall back to 3G due to low 4G signal.
- Ufone often has complaints about the 3G signals in areas where 4G coverage is weak.
2. Mobile Broadband Data Speed
A. Auto-Mode Download Throughput
- Threshold: 4Mbps
- Best performing operator per city:
- Jazz: 1st in most cities for download speed.
- Zong: 2nd.
- Ufone and Telenor: Trail behind.
B. Auto-Mode Upload Throughput
- Threshold: 1Mbps
- Best performing operator per city:
- Zong: 1st in most cities for upload.
- Jazz: 2nd.
- Ufone: Consistently 3rd.
C. 3rd Party App Download/Upload Speed
- Results reaffirm auto-mode ranking.
- Zong outperforms others in most cities for both download and upload.
- Jazz performs strongly but mainly takes 2nd position.
3. Latency (Ping/Response Time)
A. Auto-Mode Latency
- Threshold: 75ms
- Telenor: Most cities are compliant, ranks 1st.
- Jazz and Zong: 2nd/3rd with similar performance.
- Ufone: Struggles with compliance and high latency.
- Worst performing cities: Murree, Abbt-Khanpur, Murree Expressway.
B. 3rd Party App Latency
- All operators generally meet compliance, especially Telenor and Jazz.
4. Web Page Loading Time
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Threshold: 5 seconds
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Ufone and Jazz: Most compliant cities (fast loading times, rank 1st)
-
Telenor: 2nd place
-
Zong: 3rd place, with some slow-loading cities
5. Voice Service KPIs
KPIs measured: Accessibility, Call Setup Success Rate, Setup Time, Completion Rate, Opinion Score
-
Zong: 1st place (86 cities compliant, 9 non-compliant)
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Jazz: 2nd place (85/10)
-
Telenor: 3rd place (83/12)
-
Ufone: 4th place (78/17)
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Non-compliance areas: Mainly in call setup time and opinion score (MOS)
6. SMS Service KPIs
KPIs: Success Rate (SR), Delivery Time (DT)
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Thresholds: SR ≥ 99%, DT ≤ 12 seconds
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Zong: Most cities are compliant, and it has the fastest and most reliable SMS
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Jazz/Telenor: Share 2nd place
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Ufone: Ranks last
7. Overall CMO Ranking
| Category | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4G Coverage | Zong | Jazz | Ufone | Telenor |
| Broadband Download (Auto) | Jazz | Zong | Ufone | Telenor |
| Broadband Upload (Auto) | Zong | Jazz | Ufone | Telenor |
| Page Loading | Ufone/Jazz | Telenor | Zong | — |
| Latency (Auto-mode) | Telenor | Jazz | Zong | Ufone |
| Voice | Zong | Jazz | Telenor | Ufone |
| SMS | Zong | Jazz/Telenor | Ufone | — |
Summary of Major Findings:
- Zong is the leader in coverage, voice, and SMS, especially strong in 4G.
- Jazz is consistently top or second in broadband speed and page loading.
- Telenor excels in latency but lags in coverage and speed.
- Ufone suffers in most categories but performs well in web page loading.
