NA panel expresses concern over poor internet services across country

ISLAMABAD, Nov 03 (APP): National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the poor quality of internet services across the country.
It observed that despite its efforts over the past two years, service quality had not improved to the required standard.
The committee, chaired by MNA Syed Amin ul Haq, noted that internet services remained unsatisfactory in several districts. Major cities, including Karachi and Islamabad, were also facing connectivity and service quality issues.
The committee particularly highlighted frequent signal drops during WhatsApp calls.
It observed that internet services in smaller cities and remote districts were almost non-existent in some areas.
In response, the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told the committee that the authority had identified the problems through surveys conducted in different areas.
It had also engaged telecom operators to address the shortcomings.
He said telecom operators were directed to improve their Quality of Service (QoS) within three months wherever deficiencies were identified.
If subsequent surveys showed no improvement, the authority issued show-cause notices to the concerned operators.
The PTA chairman, Major General (R) Hafeez ur Rehman informed the committee that five show-cause notices had been issued to telecom operators over the past three months.
However, the recovery of fines remained pending as the operators had approached courts and obtained stay orders. This had delayed the recovery process.
The PTA chairman also identified prolonged power outages as a major factor affecting the quality of telecommunication services.
He said load-shedding in rural areas, where electricity remained unavailable for 12 to 16 hours a day, affected the functioning of telecom towers. This, in turn, disrupted internet connectivity for the public.
On improvements to telecommunication infrastructure, the PTA chairman said work on upgrading existing networks had progressed following the 5G spectrum auction.
He informed the committee that around 70 per cent of 5G services in Karachi had been rolled out. About 2,300 telecom towers had also been upgraded to support 5G technology.
He added that infrastructure development and the resolution of spectrum-related issues were being carried out in phases.
He expressed confidence that these measures would improve the overall quality of telecom services in the country in the long run.
The committee also considered the Electronic Transactions Amendment Bill, 2026.
A representative of the Ministry of Law and Justice informed the committee that consultations with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on the proposed legislation were underway.
He said the bill had reached an advanced stage and that the parties expected to finalise a consensus on the proposed amendments shortly.
The representative requested the committee to defer the bill until the consultations were completed. He assured the members that the agreed amendments
would be presented before the committee for consideration and further directions on its passage.
The committee agreed to defer consideration of the bill until its next meeting.
The Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) briefed the committee on its mandate, strategic objectives and the National Digital Master Plan.
It outlined its vision for transforming Pakistan’s economy, society and governance through digital technology.
The authority said the plan had been prepared in consultation with provincial and sectoral stakeholders. It had been approved by the National Digital
Commission, which had also issued directives for its implementation.
The PDA said the plan was based on three main pillars: Digital Society, Digital Economy and Digital Governance.
Under the Digital Society pillar, the focus would be on empowering citizens through better access to digital services and creating an inclusive digital environment.
The Digital Economy pillar would promote economic growth through digital innovation, technology adoption and transformation across different sectors.
Meanwhile, Digital Governance would focus on improving institutional efficiency, transparency and public service delivery through digital solutions.
The committee was informed that the authority would prepare a comprehensive digital roadmap.
It would also set key performance indicators and implementation targets to guide federal and provincial institutions and sectoral stakeholders.
All relevant departments and institutions would be required to align their digitalisation initiatives with the National Digital Master Plan. The move aims to ensure coordinated implementation across the country.
The authority highlighted the economic potential of digital transformation.
The PDA reiterated its commitment to providing strategic direction and a coordinated framework for implementation.
It said these efforts would strengthen the country’s digital economy, improve governance and accelerate the transition towards a digitally empowered society.