Check What Call, SMS and Data Quality Your Mobile Network Must Give in Pakistan Under PTA Rules

Short answer: PTA's 2021 rules set the minimum quality a mobile operator must deliver: at most 2% dropped calls, calls set up in under 7.5 seconds, 4G downloads above 4 Mbps, latency under 75 milliseconds, and a web page loading in under 5 seconds. PTA measures these by drive tests, not on your phone.

Your call dropped three times today. Your 4G page took ten seconds. You may wonder what your network is actually supposed to give you. Pakistan has a written answer, and most customers have never seen it.

We read the Cellular Mobile Network Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations, 2021 on 11 October 2026. It is S.R.O. 1130(I)/2021, made on 14 June 2021 and published in the Gazette on 9 September 2021. The file on pta.gov.pk is a scan, so one digit could be misread. Check it against the regulation on PTA's site.

Voice call standards are set as percentages

For voice, the regulation asks for network accessibility of at least 99%, a call setup success rate of at least 98%, and a call drop rate under 2%. Call setup time must be under 7.5 seconds, and speech quality must score above 3 on the Mean Opinion Score.

Network downtime must be 1% or less, averaged over a month across the operator's outdoor sites. Operators must report it separately for 2G, 3G and 4G sites. "Call completion ratio" must be above 98%, which is the share of established calls that end by choice rather than by failure.

Data speed standards step up over two years

For 4G, the regulation sets download speed above 2 Mbps at once, above 3 Mbps one year after the effective date, and above 4 Mbps after two years. For 3G the steps are above 512 Kbps, then above 1 Mbps. The two year date has passed.

The regulation took effect on 9 September 2021. Its table lists later dates for Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan: above 2 Mbps after one year, above 3 Mbps after two years and above 4 Mbps after four years. By our count, all of those dates have also passed by now. We did not find an amendment that changes the figures.

Latency, the round trip time for a data packet, must be under 75 milliseconds on 4G and under 150 milliseconds on 3G. Web page loading time must be under 5 seconds. The regulation defines mobile broadband as at least 1 Mbit/s.

Signal strength has a floor outdoors

Coverage is judged by signal level outdoors. A 4G network must reach at least minus 100 dBm of reference signal power with 90% confidence. 3G has the same minus 100 dBm figure. For 2G the floor is minus 90 dBm. Indoor signal is not covered by these figures.

That last point matters at home. A network can pass the outdoor test and still give a weak signal inside a thick walled room. Our guide to fixing weak signal at home covers what you can do. The city results of PTA's tests are in our survey of the best mobile network by city.

PTA tests the network, not your single call

The standards are measured by drive tests that the operators and PTA run, and reported to PTA each quarter within 30 days. They are performance targets for the network as a whole. One dropped call, or one slow test on your phone, does not by itself break the regulation.

PTA may also send its own officers for surprise checks. If a shortfall is found, the operator must do a root cause analysis and send PTA a compliance report within 30 days. The regulation allows PTA to publish survey results and ratings for the public. Network performance scores are meant to be published too.

Use the numbers to build a stronger complaint

You cannot claim a refund from these figures. You can use them to describe a pattern. Note the place, time and result of each failed call or slow test over several days, then complain to the operator first and to PTA if nothing changes.

1. Pick one place where the problem happens, such as your street or office.
2. Run a speed test and note the result at three different times of day, for five days.
3. Note each dropped call with the time and the number you called.
4. Take screenshots of the results, showing the date and time.
5. File a network complaint with your operator and keep the complaint number.
6. If the operator does not fix it, file with PTA through its complaint app.

The steps for the PTA stage are in our guide to complaining to PTA about slow internet.

Common questions

What is the call drop limit for mobile networks in Pakistan?

The 2021 regulation sets a call drop rate under 2%. That is a measure of the whole network tested by PTA, not a promise for each of your calls.

What 4G speed must my operator give?

The regulation's final step is a download speed above 4 Mbps and an upload speed above 1 Mbps for 4G, as an average in testing. Real speeds on your phone vary with place and time.

Do these standards apply indoors?

The signal strength standard is an outdoor level. The text we read does not set a separate indoor figure.

Who measures the network quality?

Operators run drive tests and report quarterly, and PTA can run its own surprise checks or hire an auditor. The results can be published for the public.

Can I claim money back if the standard is missed?

We did not find a compensation rule for individual customers in this regulation. It deals with measurement, reporting and fixes by the operator, not refunds.

Which operators does it cover?

All cellular mobile and next generation mobile licensees, according to the scope section. That includes the four main networks.

How we verified this

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

Last checked on 11 October 2026. Source: the Cellular Mobile Network Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations, 2021 (S.R.O. 1130(I)/2021, Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, 9 September 2021), read from the scanned PDF on pta.gov.pk. We did not read the annexes on drive test methodology and could not check for any later amendment beyond PTA's regulations page.