The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has released a new report assessing internet speed and the quality of internet services in 21 cities of Pakistan. The Fixed Broadband Quality of Service (QoS) Survey that covered the third quarter of 2026 (July 1 to September 30) determined 28 operator-location entries from 23 separate fixed-line broadband operators, with the majority able to achieve the prescribed national benchmarks.
Key Performance Benchmarks in the PTA Internet Speed Report
The Quality of Service Survey was carried out under the Fixed Broadband Quality of Service Regulations 2022 and covered seven technical indicators, of which 15 entries received 100 per cent compliance and 13 of them met six out of seven technical indicators.
Speed Thresholds: All surveyed operators had the minimum download speed of 4 Mbps and minimum upload speed of 2 Mbps.
Network Latency: Network latency limits were not exceeded by any provider, both local and international terrestrial connections were found to be comfortably below 40 milliseconds and international terrestrial connections under 110 milliseconds.
Jitter Stability: The majority of the networks evaluated were able to keep connection jitter below the tight 15 millisecond limit.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has conducted Quality of Service (QoS) surveys for fixed-line broadband services during the third quarter of 2026, covering network-end and user-end performance across major cities in Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The surveys aimed to assess the performance of Broadband Service Providers (BSPs) against the prescribed QoS benchmarks and evaluate the quality of internet services being provided to consumers. The network-end surveys assessed key performance indicators, including network availability, jitter, network latency, bandwidth utilization, and data throughput. The user-end surveys assessed broadband performance experienced by consumers, providing an additional view of service quality at the subscriber end. #PTA #QualityOfService #QoS #BroadbandServices #InternetSpeed #BroadbandQuality #DigitalPakistan #TelecomSector #InternetConnectivity #ConsumerProtection #NetworkPerformance #FixedLineBroadband #TelecomRegulation #GilgitBaltistan #PakistanTelecom #DigitalConnectivity #ReliableInternet #PTAUpdates
— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) November 11, 2026
Although compliance was high overall, the regulator highlighted some regional issues that need to be addressed in a timely manner with technical investment, to avoid delays in times of peak demand.
High Bandwidth Congestion: PTA has set maximum limits of bandwidth usage for several locations, and operators are being asked to increase their bandwidth.
Abbottabad Availability Deficit: One operator was not meeting the availability benchmarks in Abbottabad, achieving 99.73 percent core availability (compared to a requirement of 99.9 percent) as well as access availability of 97.13 percent (compared to a requirement of 99 percent).
Vehari Jitter Spike: Another service provider in Vehari saw a significant amount of connection jitter (40.61 milliseconds), which is higher than the threshold of 15 milliseconds, and their connection with the exchange needs to be corrected immediately.
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