Only 15% of mobile phone towers fiberised: PTA chairman

Only 15 per cent of mobile phone towers in Pakistan are fiberised, which is a key factor behind the country’s slow mobile internet services.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman stated this while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology. He warned that launching 5G without expanding fiber infrastructure would degrade service quality.

The meeting was chaired by Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque, where the PTA chairman briefed members on the Quality of Service (QoS) survey and the causes of poor mobile connectivity.

Following the briefing, committee members sought detailed information on the PTA’s fiberisation roadmap and cluster-based plans.

Members of the committe raised serious concerns over deteriorating mobile phone service quality, saying IT officials routinely claim that services are functioning normally despite persistent public complaints.

The lawmakers highlighted that mobile connectivity has remained poor since the February 8 general elections and said problems related to tower solar systems and battery backups are also affecting services.

They said that the issue would only be resolved once the government acknowledged that a service problem existed, questioning the purpose of discussions if the PTA is unwilling to accept the situation on the ground.

PPP lawmaker Sharmila Faruqi expressed surprise over PTA’s claim of conducting a fourth Quality of Service survey, saying committee members are unaware of where such surveys are being carried out.