Of the total penalty amount of Rs68.9 million that was levied by PTA on various telecom companies over the past five years, just Rs13.6 million has been collected. This statistic has been furnished by Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja in response to a question posed in the National Assembly. Of the total penalty amount levied by PTA, the recovery has come to nearly 19.7 percent.
Low Recovery Rate Raises Questions on Enforcement
Transitioning from notices to actual results, the weak recovery rate highlights challenges in enforcing penalties against powerful telecom giants. The PTA conducted 379 quality-of-service surveys in the last three years, including 136 complaint-based inspections across cities, highways, and railway tracks. Officials took action in several cases where operators failed to meet standards, yet most imposed fines remain uncollected.
Government Pushes for Better Service and Coverage
On a positive side, however, the government and PTA have made continuous attempts towards enhancing telecommunication services throughout the nation. This is through enforcing strict regulations on licensing, infrastructure sharing, national roaming, and quicker deployment of modern technology. The telecommunication spectrum has increased by 480 MHz, which is more than twice the previous level. The government believes that with this increase, 4G speeds will rise from 14 Mbps to an estimated 120 Mbps, whereas 5G speeds will achieve a high level of 150 Mbps.
The PTA has also directed operators to install 1,000 new sites every year, with special focus on underserved areas. These steps aim to deliver better mobile broadband and wider coverage to millions of Pakistanis.
Consumers often complain about dropped calls, slow internet, and poor signals, especially in smaller cities and along major routes. This latest disclosure puts pressure on the regulator to strengthen its enforcement mechanisms and ensure telecom companies comply with quality standards more effectively.
