The government has rejected the impression that mobile network and internet coverage has remained poor and insufficient in most areas of Balochistan over the past three years.
The Minister In-charge of the Cabinet Division, in a written reply to the National Assembly, stated that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been conducting regular Quality of Service (QoS) surveys, and any shortcomings observed were promptly shared with operators for rectification.
According to official data, a total of 23 surveys were carried out in Balochistan during the last three years. In 2022–23, nine surveys were planned across different quarters, while in 2024, eight surveys were conducted in three quarters. During 2025, two surveys have already been completed, with two more planned by the end of the year. These surveys covered multiple cities and helped identify weak service areas requiring improvement.
The results of these surveys indicated unsatisfactory performance in certain regions. The PTA shared these findings with cellular mobile operators (CMOs), and corrective action was taken to improve services. For areas where service remained unserved or underserved, cases were referred to the Universal Service Fund (USF) for consideration and provision of telecom infrastructure.
The Minister highlighted that poor quality of service cannot be attributed to a single factor but arises from multiple issues, including limited spectrum availability, inadequate fiber-based backhaul, Right of Way (RoW) constraints, rising demand, sudden outages, low fiber-to-tower ratios, and recurring theft and vandalism. To address these challenges, enforcement measures were also taken, with 39 show-cause notices issued in the past five years, resulting in penalties worth Rs. 68.9 million.
According to the written reply, steps to improve telecom services in Balochistan over the last three years include the installation of more than 700 new sites, annual rollout obligations for CMOs to expand coverage by three percent of the additional population, and the implementation of advanced technologies such as sector splitting and Massive MIMO. The government has also introduced VoWiFi and VoLTE for better call and data quality, carried out spectrum auctions, and mandated fiberization along the Karachi–Gwadar Coastal Highway to strengthen connectivity.
The PTA further adopted Opensignal for independent crowd-sourced QoS monitoring, complemented by operator-reported data. A central Complaint Management System (CMS) is also operational to register and resolve consumer grievances via website, toll-free number, mobile app, and fax.
The Minister assured that network expansion and monitoring will continue to progressively enhance mobile and internet services in Balochistan.