Check the Fastest 4G Network in Your City in Pakistan: PTA's Q2 2026 Results for 17 Cities

Short answer: In PTA's Q2 2026 benchmarking report, Zong had the fastest 4G download speed nationally at 18.55 Mbps, ahead of Jazz at 17.61 Mbps. By city it is split: Zong led in Lahore, Karachi, Multan and six other cities, and Jazz led in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta and four more.

PTA published the report on 29 September 2026. It uses measurements from Opensignal, an independent company that collects speed and quality data from real phones over 90 days. It covers 20 cities. You can use it to pick the SIM that works best where you live and work.

We read the full 28 page PDF on PTA's website on 13 October 2026. The text version of the PDF does not carry the operator logos, so we matched each column to its operator using the national figures that PTA released with the report. Please check the logos in the original PDF if the choice matters to you.

Zong and Jazz lead nationally, Telenor trails

Nationally, the average 4G download speed was 18.55 Mbps on Zong, 17.61 on Jazz, 12.82 on Ufone and 7.5 on Telenor. Upload speeds were 7.81, 6.26, 4.42 and 2.82 Mbps in the same order. Zong led on both.

These are averages for all 4G users who subscribe directly to each operator. Opensignal leaves out customers of virtual operators and roaming users, because they may get a different priority. It also removes extreme values and counts each device once.

The national average across all operators was 18.9 Mbps on 4G, and 31.3 Mbps on high end phones. For what a normal speed looks like, see our page on whether your mobile speed is normal.

See which network was fastest in nine big cities

Jazz was fastest in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta and Faisalabad. Zong was fastest in Lahore, Karachi and Multan. In Hyderabad the two were within 0.08 Mbps, with Jazz slightly ahead. Telenor and Ufone did not lead in any of these cities.

All figures are average 4G download speed in Mbps. The gaps are large between the top two and Telenor in most cities. Karachi and Hyderabad are the cities where Telenor came closest, at 12.19 and 12.74 Mbps.

Check the eight smaller cities in the report

Among the other eight cities with four networks, Zong led in Abbottabad, Gujranwala, Gwadar, Sialkot, Chakwal and Khairpur, while Jazz led in Sukkur and Swabi. Gwadar had the slowest speeds of these, at 12.75 Mbps for Zong and 11.63 for Jazz.

Across the 17 cities that have the same four networks, Zong led in nine and Jazz in eight. Sukkur and Swabi were Jazz wins by 1.27 and 2.75 Mbps. Chakwal was close, with Zong at 20.24 and Jazz at 19.30.

The report also covers Mirpur, Skardu and Muzaffarabad. Those three list five networks, because the Special Communications Organization (SCOM) operates in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The text copy lost the column labels there, so we do not name a winner. Speeds were lower: in Skardu the best network averaged 14.76 Mbps. Our page on the best mobile network in AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan covers PTA's other test for those areas.

Use the result to choose a SIM, not to judge a promise

Opensignal measures what users feel, not what the tower can deliver. PTA warns that the results can differ from its own drive tests and from other measurement platforms. Use this report as one input, and test a second SIM before you move your main number.

1. Find your city in the table, or open the PTA report for the full 20 city list.
2. Note the fastest network and the gap to your current one.
3. Put a cheap second SIM in your phone for a week and measure it where you live and work.
4. If the new network is better, move your number with mobile number portability.
5. If your network is much slower than its rivals, complain through PTA's system.

PTA's own drive test survey, covered in our page on the best mobile network in your city, uses a different method. Compare both before you decide. To run your own test, follow the guide to PTA's speed test app.

Remember that 5G results in this report are only a first look

The same report gives a 5G average of 127.74 Mbps download, but users were on 5G for only 3.95 percent of the time. PTA says 5G is at an early stage with limited coverage and a small user base, so the results are indicative only.

For where 5G is on, see 5G coverage in Pakistan. A 5G phone does not make your 4G faster, and most people still use 4G almost all the time. In this report, 4G was used 93.67 percent of the time.

Common questions

Which mobile network is fastest in Pakistan in 2026?

Zong, at an average 4G download speed of 18.55 Mbps in PTA's Q2 2026 report. Jazz was second at 17.61 Mbps, Ufone third at 12.82 and Telenor fourth at 7.5.

Which network is fastest in Lahore?

Zong, with 21.26 Mbps. Jazz had 17.36, Ufone 13.61 and Telenor 7.58 in Lahore.

Which network is fastest in Islamabad and Rawalpindi?

Jazz, with 20.86 Mbps in Islamabad and 19.25 Mbps in Rawalpindi. Zong was second at 16.01 and 16.09.

How was this measured?

Opensignal collected data from real phones over 90 days in the second quarter of 2026, indoors and outdoors, at busy and quiet hours. PTA published the results on 29 September 2026.

Does this report cover my small town?

Only 20 cities are listed. If yours is not there, use a nearby city as a guide, and run your own speed test with each SIM.

Is Telenor really that slow?

In this report Telenor had the lowest national 4G speed, at 7.5 Mbps. Results depend on city and device, and PTA says Opensignal can differ from its own drive tests.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 13 October 2026, Pakistan time. We read PTA's press release of 29 September 2026 and the full Mobile Network Experience Benchmarking Report, Q2 2026, on PTA's website. Operator names were matched to columns using the national figures, because the logos did not copy as text. We did not read the Opensignal website and have not repeated these tests ourselves.