Check If Your Mobile Operator's Helpline and Billing Meet PTA Standards in Pakistan
Know what PTA expects of your mobile helpline: 5 seconds to connect, 45 seconds to an agent, 15 minutes to reconnect after payment. See how to use it.
Short answer: PTA's customer service standards say an operator's helpline should connect within 5 seconds for 90% of calls, an agent should answer within 45 seconds for 98%, and complaints should close within 48 hours for 99%. A mobile line cut for unpaid dues should be reconnected within 15 minutes of payment.
You wait on hold for eight minutes. The agent promises a call back and none comes. Many customers think this is just how helplines work. PTA has written numbers for it, and the 2025 amendment added more duties about complaint numbers and a round the clock line.
We read two PTA gazette notices on 11 October 2026. One is the Telecom Consumer Protection (Amendment) Regulations, 2017 (S.R.O. 1205(I)/2017), which added the customer service targets. The other is the Telecom Consumers Protection (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 (S.R.O. 2509(I)/2025, 29 December 2025). Both are scans, so a digit could be misread. Our other pieces cover the consent rule and the package alert rule from the same 2025 notice.
Helpline speed is measured in seconds
The 2017 targets say the helpline or IVR (the automated menu) must connect within 5 seconds for at least 90% of calls and within 10 seconds for at least 99%. Once in the queue, an agent must answer within 45 seconds for at least 98% of calls.
These are percentages across all calls, not a promise for your single call. If your call waits two minutes, one call has missed the target, but the operator can still meet the figure for the month. The figures show what PTA expects of the call centre as a whole.
| Measure | Target in the 2017 amendment |
|---|---|
| Helpline connects | Within 5 seconds for 90% of calls, 10 seconds for 99% |
| Agent answers | Within 45 seconds for 98% of calls |
| Complaint response and fix | 48 hours maximum for 99% |
| Complaints resolved | 24 hours for 80%, 48 hours for 95%, 72 hours for 99% |
| Emergency numbers | Handled within 30 seconds, 100% |
| Mobile activation | Within 1 hour |
Complaints have a clock
The targets say 80% of complaints should be resolved within 24 hours, 95% within 48 hours and 99% within 72 hours. For faults on cable networks the numbers are 70% in 48 hours, 80% in 72 hours and 99% in 120 hours.
The 2025 amendment adds a firm duty per complaint. Under regulation 14, the operator must register each complaint, give a unique complaint number and tell you the time within which it will fix the grievance, as soon as possible and no later than three working days. It must also keep an escalation path with several levels.
That complaint number is your proof. Without it, you cannot show PTA that you went to the operator first. Our guide on how to complain to PTA about your mobile network shows what happens next.
The helpline must run all day and cost no more than the tariff
Regulation 13, as replaced in 2025, says every operator shall run a round the clock consumer care call centre with a dedicated helpline number. The call charge may not exceed the tariff set by PTA. Operators must keep each complaint and its status for one year.
The same notice defines a "Consumer Care Number" as a number open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you file in writing, by email, a web form, post or the operator's app, the operator must acknowledge and resolve it in good time. We verified the helplines in our telecom helpline list.
Billing errors and reconnection have their own targets
For billing, the 2017 text sets billing accuracy at 100% against the advertised tariff. Valid billing complaints should stay at 0.2 per 100 bills. Billing problems such as over charging should be fixed within 3 working days for 90% of cases and 5 working days for all.
For reconnection after you clear dues, the target is 15 minutes for a mobile or wireless local loop line and 24 hours for a landline. The 2025 amendment goes further for suspended service: it must be restored immediately and no later than four hours after you take the remedial steps.
- Pay the dues and keep the payment confirmation.
- Ask the helpline when the service will be restored and get a complaint number.
- If service is not back in 15 minutes for a mobile line, call again and cite the 2017 target.
- If it is not back in four hours, escalate within the operator.
- If it is still off, file on the PTA complaint system with the complaint number and your payment proof.
These are performance measures that PTA monitors
PTA may measure operator performance by surprise surveys, call centre visits, franchise inspections and customer perception surveys. Where an operator does not fix a reported shortfall in time, PTA's Consumer Protection Division may ask for an explanation and take action under the law.
The text we read does not say you receive money for a missed target. It tells operators what to meet and gives PTA the right to check. Use the numbers to describe the delay in your complaint, not to demand a fixed payment. Where the problem is the network, see our guide on slow internet complaints.
Common questions
How long should a telecom helpline take to answer in Pakistan?
Under PTA's targets, the line should connect within 5 seconds for 90% of calls, and an agent should answer within 45 seconds for 98% of calls. These are targets for the whole call centre.
How fast must my operator fix a complaint?
The operator must register it with a complaint number and fix it as soon as possible, no later than three working days, under the 2025 amendment. The 2017 targets add 24, 48 and 72 hour benchmarks.
Is the helpline free to call?
The regulation says the charge may not exceed the tariff PTA has set. It does not say the call is free. We did not read the tariff itself.
How fast must a line be reconnected after I pay?
The 2017 target is 15 minutes for mobile and 24 hours for landline. The 2025 text says suspended service must be restored immediately, and no later than four hours after you fix the cause.
Can I complain straight to PTA?
PTA deals with complaints that first went to the operator, unless the operator failed to register it, did not act in reasonable time, or gave an unsatisfactory reply, as the 2025 text says.
Do the targets apply to every operator?
The 2017 text says all licensees shall meet or exceed the minimum quality of service in the licence and these regulations. That is the wording we read.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 11 October 2026. Sources: the Telecom Consumer Protection (Amendment) Regulations, 2017 (S.R.O. 1205(I)/2017, Gazette, 22 November 2017), and the Telecom Consumers Protection (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 (S.R.O. 2509(I)/2025, 31 December 2025), both read from scanned PDFs on the pta.gov.pk regulations page. We read pages 1 to 4 of the 2017 notice and did not read the termination and satisfaction targets on page 5.
About the author
Technology Journalist & Multimedia Producer
Ahmad Ali is a technology journalist and multimedia producer at Pakistan Era, joining the team in October 2026. He covers consumer technology and digital life for Pakistani readers, combining research with hands-on product testing.
