The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has suggested the installation of express feeders to alleviate network problems in Karachi caused by prolonged power outages. This recommendation was made in a written response to the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT and Telecom.

The committee had previously advised conducting a comprehensive survey to assess the city's network issues, highlighting the urgency of improving telecom services in the region. PTA's survey findings indicated that while voice and data service KPIs met regulatory standards, network availability suffered significantly due to load-shedding.

According to PTA, the detailed survey of Karachi revealed that network downtime in key districts such as Central, East, South, West, and Malir was primarily due to extended power failures. Despite telecom infrastructure having backup power systems, their average battery backup of 2 to 4 hours was insufficient during prolonged outages. PTA recommended that the government provide express feeders for uninterrupted commercial power to telecom towers, ensuring better network uptime and service quality.

PTA further informed the committee that a survey of the Karachi-Hyderabad Expressway is currently underway in Q1 2025 to evaluate telecom performance in the region. Analysis of System Parameters (OSS KPIs) for Q4 2024 showed that while network downtime remained below acceptable limits for Zong and Ufone, Jazz experienced downtime in the Malir region. Nevertheless, call completion rates and 4G data speeds stayed above required thresholds despite power-related disruptions.

Additionally, independent Quality of Service (QoS) surveys conducted in Malir and Keemari in 2024 confirmed that overall voice and data services were satisfactory across all mobile operators. Telenor recorded the highest network availability at 99.40%, while Ufone had the lowest at 97.70%. In terms of 4G throughput, Telenor led with an average speed of 11.59 Mbps, followed by Jazz at 6.92 Mbps, Zong at 6.21 Mbps, and Ufone at 5.92 Mbps.
Image by Time of Karachi