PTA Inspects 115 Telecom Sites in One Week, 39 of Them in Lahore

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) says its field teams inspected 115 telecom sites in one week, from 30 September to 7 October 2026. Lahore had the most, with 39 sites. The teams checked call quality, mobile internet, coverage and backup power. Where they found faults, PTA says it told the mobile operator to fix them.

PTA released the figures in a statement on 10 October 2026. It is the second update on these field checks in about two weeks. If your calls drop or your data crawls in one of the eight cities named, this is the work that is supposed to reach your street. Here is what PTA says was checked, where, and what you can do if your area is still bad.

PTA checked 115 sites in eight cities in one week

PTA's zonal teams visited 115 telecom sites between 30 September and 7 October 2026. Lahore had 39, Karachi 17, Sukkur 16, Multan and Rawalpindi 14 each, Quetta 8, Abbottabad 4 and Gilgit 3. Those eight figures add up to exactly 115.

A "telecom site" here means a mobile tower location, the mast plus the radio equipment, batteries and generator around it. PTA does not say which operators' sites were visited, or how many belonged to Jazz, Zong, Ufone or Telenor. So the list tells you where PTA went, not which network was at fault.

Lahore's share stands out. It is a third of the week's total. PTA gives no reason for that split.

The teams looked at calls, data, coverage and backup power

PTA says the teams assessed four things at each site: network performance, voice and data quality, coverage, and backup power. They focused on call connection failures, dropped calls, slow mobile internet and coverage gaps. They also reviewed complaints from people in those areas.

Backup power matters more than it sounds. When the grid goes off, a tower runs on batteries or a generator. If those are weak, the tower switches off and the signal goes with it. That is why so many people lose bars during load shedding, and why it has its own explanation in why mobile signal goes during load shedding.

PTA also says its teams are working with local administrations, elected representatives and residents to find problem spots. It adds that service has improved in several of the areas covered. It does not give any before and after figures for that claim, so we cannot check it.

Operators must fix what PTA finds, but no list is public

Where a team finds a fault at a site or tower, PTA says it directs the operator to take corrective action. That is the only enforcement step named in the statement. It does not mention fines, deadlines or a follow-up visit.

No list of the faulty sites, or of the operators told to fix them, has been published. So you cannot look up whether the tower near your home was one of the 115. If your service is still poor, a complaint in your own name is the step that creates a record.

This follows PTA's backup power checks from 24 September

On 24 September 2026, PTA said its zonal offices had begun physical checks of backup power at towers. Those teams covered Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Abbottabad, Peshawar, Multan, Faisalabad and Muzaffarabad. They checked batteries, generators and solar systems, with attention to areas hit by load shedding.

That release also said the PTA chairman, Maj. Gen. Hafeez Ur Rehman (Retired), told the zonal offices to keep the checks going. The 10 October figures look like the first weekly count from that drive. Peshawar, Faisalabad and Muzaffarabad were named in September but do not appear in this week's city list, while Sukkur and Gilgit do.

The checks come alongside PTA's network tests. Its September benchmarking report ranked operators city by city, and the results are set out in the best mobile network in your city.

What to do if calls still drop where you live

Rule out your own phone and SIM first, then complain to your operator, then go to PTA. PTA itself told users this week to check their 4G setting, handset and SIM before blaming the network. A complaint number from the operator is what PTA will ask for.

1. Set your phone to 4G or LTE and turn on VoLTE. An old 3G SIM will cause dropped calls on any tower. The steps are in checking if your SIM is 4G.
2. Note where and when the problem happens. Write down the area, the time and whether it is worse during load shedding.
3. Complain to your operator's helpline and keep the complaint number.
4. If the operator does not fix it, file a complaint with PTA on its complaint portal or the PTA CMS app, quoting that number.
5. For a dead spot inside your house, use Wi-Fi calling and the legal fixes in weak mobile signal at home.

Do not buy a signal booster. PTA treats unapproved boosters as illegal because they interfere with the network for everyone nearby. The full route for a slow or dead connection is in how to complain to PTA about slow internet.

Common questions

How many telecom sites did PTA inspect?

PTA says 115 sites between 30 September and 7 October 2026. Lahore had 39, Karachi 17, Sukkur 16, Multan and Rawalpindi 14 each, Quetta 8, Abbottabad 4 and Gilgit 3.

Which mobile networks were inspected?

PTA did not say. The statement gives city totals only, with no split by Jazz, Zong, Ufone or Telenor sites.

Will PTA fine operators for faults it finds?

The statement does not mention fines. It says PTA directs operators to take corrective action where faults are found.

Can I ask PTA to inspect the tower in my area?

There is no public request form for an inspection. The practical route is a complaint to your operator, then to PTA with that complaint number, which puts your area on record.

Is this the same as PTA's backup power checks?

It is part of the same field drive. PTA began backup power checks on 24 September 2026, and the 10 October statement includes backup power among the things checked.

How we verified this

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

We checked on 10 October 2026. The 115 sites, the city figures, the 30 September to 7 October dates and what the teams assessed are from PTA's statement released on 10 October 2026. It had not yet appeared on PTA's press releases page when we checked that evening, so those figures are as reported from PTA's statement. We added the city figures ourselves and they total 115. The 24 September backup power checks are from PTA's release of that date, "PTA begins checking telecom towers' power backup", which we read in full.