ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has identified shortcomings in call quality of mobile phones and internet services in certain areas in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday launched a special field inspection campaign to assess and improve the quality of mobile phone services.

According to the initial assessment, mobile voice and data services were generally satisfactory in most of the areas inspected.

The special inspection was conducted after numerous complaints by the consumers against the mobile telephony and data service in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman personally led the exercise along with members of the authority.

The chairman, accompanied by authority members, directors general and senior officials, visited various areas of the twin cities to examine the quality of 4G coverage, voice calls and mobile internet services.

Representatives of mobile phone operators, media and even some of the complainants also accompanied the PTA team during the exercise.

The inspection focused on voice quality, call connection success rates, call continuity and mobile data speeds. Officials also assessed the overall performance of mobile networks and the quality of internet services available to subscribers.

Three special teams were deployed to cover different areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The first team inspected mobile services at Islamabad International Airport, Srinagar Highway and adjoining areas, while the second team assessed network performance along Islamabad Expressway from the city to Rawat T-Chowk.

The third team covered Murree Road, Rawal Road and areas around the Old Airport in Rawalpindi.

Representatives of the Ministry of Information Technology, PTA and mobile operators, including Jazz, Zong and Ufone, participated in the inspection campaign.

The PTA chairman issued necessary instructions to representatives of mobile operators on the spot to address the identified issues and improve service delivery.

Meanwhile, the representatives of the telcos informed media and the PTA that there were certain distortions in telephony and data service regularly at different towers.

It was because the telecom sector was upgrading their networks from 3G to 4G and several places from 4G to 5G by installing new equipment, as well as technical sinking of newly acquired spectrums.

The transitional period leads to deterioration of the quality of service for some period.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2026