Senate panel reviews internet disruptions, telecom infrastructure theft

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Jun, 2026) A Senate Sub-Committee on Monday reviewed the growing challenges posed by internet service degradation and widespread diesel theft from telecommunications infrastructure across the country.

The meeting, chaired by Senator Sadia Abbasi, was attended by senators Kamran Murtaza and Afnan Ullah Khan, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications.

The committee discussed key threats affecting the country's telecom infrastructure and service continuity.

The members expressed serious concern over more than 9,200 incidents of theft and vandalism reported across Pakistan during an eleven-month period, affecting nearly 16 percent of the country's cellular infrastructure.

According to the briefing, Sindh recorded the highest number of incidents, with 3,938 cases across 31 districts. Punjab reported 2,827 cases in 38 districts, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 1,668 incidents across 25 districts, while Balochistan recorded 716 cases across 26 districts.

During the meeting, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) informed the committee that prolonged power outages continue to disrupt telecom services by draining backup batteries and overburdening generator systems.

To improve network resilience, PTA said it has engaged the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) and the Power Division to secure dedicated electricity feeders for telecom infrastructure and accelerate the installation of smart transformers at critical telecom sites.

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Representatives of the Universal Service Fund (USF) briefed the committee on ongoing connectivity projects in Balochistan. They said that while 80 percent of targeted areas had been identified through competitive bidding, security challenges and recurring diesel theft were hampering infrastructure expansion.

The committee directed the relevant departments to identify high-risk theft locations and instructed district administrations and provincial authorities to address complaints in accordance with the law and implement stronger preventive measures to protect telecom installations.

The committee also reviewed ongoing network modernization efforts, including recent spectrum auctions that added 480 MHz of bandwidth and the issuance of commercial 5G licences in March 2026.

Officials informed the committee that the upgrades aim to increase average 4g speeds from 4 Mbps to 20 Mbps, ensure the rollout of 1,000 new sites annually, and introduce Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) services.

To improve service quality, PTA has introduced strict network downtime standards. Cellular operators will be required to keep network downtime within 5 percent at the Union Council level, 3 percent at the Tehsil level, 2 percent at the District level, and 1 percent nationwide.

The committee reiterated that internet access should be treated as an essential service and directed all telecom operators to take immediate and effective measures to prevent fuel theft and ensure uninterrupted connectivity across the country.