Internet quality poor even in major cities, NA panel told

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ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the unsatisfactory state of internet services in the country, noting that poor connectivity was affecting not only remote areas but also major cities such as Karachi.

Committee Chairman Syed Aminul Haque observed that users frequently experienced slow internet speeds and repeated call connection failures despite multiple attempts.

PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman briefed the committee that the total available spectrum in the country previously stood at 274MHz but had increased to 754MHz after the 5G spectrum auction.

He said telecom operators had launched 5G services in 22 cities. However, he said no new infrastructure had been deployed so far and 5G services had been enabled on existing mobile towers and network infrastructure.