Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) Performance in Pakistan: QoS Survey Findings
An independent survey conducted by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has revealed that Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) in Pakistan have partially met the key performance indicators (KPIs) outlined in their licenses and regulations regarding voice services, webpage loading, and latency.
The PTA executed a Quality of Service (QoS) survey in 23 cities across Pakistan during the second quarter of 2024, evaluating the performance of CMOs in accordance with the Cellular Mobile Network Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations 2021. In the first quarter of 2024, a similar independent QoS survey was carried out in 16 cities, involving approximately 4000 km of travel per CMO over 83 days to maximize coverage in the surveyed areas. During this survey, 0.38 million mobile broadband tests and 57,500 tests for calls and SMS were conducted.
The QoS tests focused on various aspects, including Voice, Mobile Broadband (covering Data in Automode and Ookla, Latency, and Web Browsing), and Short Messaging Service (SMS). Data tests recorded 4G/LTE signal strength in auto-detect mode, showing that while CMOs partially met the KPIs, none achieved compliance across all surveyed areas. Similar results were observed for 3G signal strength.
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Latency, a crucial factor affecting mobile broadband performance and user experience, was evaluated by measuring the ping to various websites and Ookla Speed Test servers. All four operators failed to meet the KPI in most instances. Furthermore, web page loading times for various national and international websites were assessed, revealing that no operator was compliant in all surveyed areas, though they partially met the KPI.
Out of 28,837 call attempts, 537 were unsuccessful. Among the 28,300 successful calls, 233 were dropped before the completion of the two-minute duration, while 28,067 calls remained connected for the full duration. The five voice service KPIs measured included Network Accessibility, Call Setup Success Rate, Call Setup Time, Call Completion Rate, and Mean Opinion Score, with operators meeting the KPIs only partially.
For SMS services, 28,713 sending attempts were made, with 28,626 successfully transmitted by the A-Party and 28,310 received by the B-Party. The two SMS QoS KPIs measured were Success Rate and Delivery Time, which operators also met partially.
In terms of Mobile Network Coverage, Ufone ranked first for 4G/LTE and 3G signal strength in technology auto-detect mode, followed by Zong, Jazz, and Telenor. Jazz achieved the highest download data throughput, with Zong in second place, Ufone third, and Telenor fourth. Zong topped the upload data throughput category, followed by Jazz, Telenor, and Ufone. Telenor ranked first for latency compliance across cities, with Zong in second, Jazz in third, and Ufone in fourth.
