Over 9,200 Theft and Vandalism Cases Reported
Pakistan’s telecom infrastructure has suffered more than 9,200 incidents of theft and vandalism in the past 11 months.
The details were shared in a report submitted by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to the Senate Sub-Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication.
According to the report, repeated attacks on telecom towers have disrupted mobile and internet services in different parts of the country.
Nearly 16 percent of Pakistan’s cellular network has been affected by these incidents.
The reported cases include diesel theft, equipment theft, and damage to telecom sites.
These incidents have created serious operational problems for mobile operators. They have also affected service quality for millions of users.
Sindh Records Highest Number of Incidents
Sindh reported the highest number of telecom infrastructure incidents.
The province recorded 3,938 cases across 31 districts.
Punjab followed with 2,827 cases in 38 districts. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 1,668 cases across 25 districts.
Balochistan recorded 716 incidents in 26 districts.
The PTA report also identified long electricity outages as another major reason behind poor telecom service.
The authority said uninterrupted power supply is essential for mobile towers and internet services.
The Ministry of Information Technology has taken up the issue with power distribution companies.
Coordination is also underway with NEPRA and the Power Division to create dedicated express feeders and smart transformers for telecom sites.
5G Preparations Continue Despite Network Challenges
The report said Pakistan is preparing for a major expansion of digital infrastructure before the launch of 5G.
The planned spectrum auction is expected to increase available spectrum by more than 200 percent.
This could raise average 4G speeds from around 4 Mbps to nearly 20 Mbps.
Initial 5G services are expected to provide speeds of up to 50 Mbps.
Mobile operators have committed to installing 1,000 new sites every year. Around 20 percent of these sites will be deployed in new locations.
During the past five years, more than 12,000 mobile sites have been installed or upgraded.
Operators have also introduced technologies such as VoLTE, VoWiFi, and Massive MIMO.
The PTA is also working on Universal Service Fund projects, national roaming on highways, and higher fiber connectivity for telecom towers.
The regulator has directed mobile operators to improve security, strengthen monitoring, and reduce downtime.
