Pakistan internet improvement is coming by October, that is the promise PTA Chairman Hafizur Rehman made to the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications on September 14, 2026. The commitment came under real pressure, with senators raising complaints about poor signals, dead zones in Lahore, and growing public frustration over slow and unreliable connections across the country.
What Happened at the Senate Committee Meeting
The session was chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan. Senator Palwasha Khan said internet signals had been unavailable in parts of Lahore, and she also pointed to a recent disruption that was reportedly linked to a power outage in the city. Lawmakers made clear they were hearing the same complaints from constituents every week and wanted answers.
Senator Kamran Murtaza went further, asking directly whether the merger of Ufone and Telenor Pakistan was contributing to the service problems that consumers were reporting. It was one of the sharpest questions of the session, because the merger is the biggest structural change Pakistan’s telecom market has seen in years, and millions of subscribers on both networks have noticed service hiccups since the process began.
PTA Chairman Hafizur Rehman confirmed that the merger process is currently underway and said work on the rollout of 5G services is also progressing. He gave lawmakers his clearest assurance yet: Pakistan internet improvement should be visible by October. No specific technical fix was publicly named in the committee meeting, but the deadline was firm and on the record.
Why the Ufone-Telenor Merger Matters for Your Connection
The Ufone-Telenor merger is the largest telecom deal in Pakistan’s history. PTCL completed its acquisition of Telenor Pakistan on December 31, 2025, and the PTA granted technical approval for merging and integrating the two networks in March 2026. The Islamabad High Court then formally approved the full amalgamation on July 1, 2026, at which point Telenor Pakistan ceased to exist as a separate legal entity and its operations were absorbed into Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML), the parent company of Ufone.
The combined entity now holds about 35.9% of Pakistan’s mobile market, making it a near-equal rival to Jazz, which leads with 36.4%. But merging two large networks is not a simple switch, it means physically integrating thousands of cell sites, migrating customer systems, reassigning spectrum, and training staff. During any such integration, service disruptions are a real risk, and a senior Ufone executive had earlier estimated that around four million of the merged company’s roughly 74 million subscribers could switch to rival operators during this transition period.
That figure alone explains why senators are watching so closely. Losing millions of subscribers to Jazz or Zong would weaken the merged operator and reduce competition in the long run, bad news for every Pakistani who relies on affordable data.
This Is Not the First Time PTA Has Faced Parliamentary Heat
Pakistan’s internet problems have been a recurring theme in committee rooms. The PTA has previously faced tough questioning over slow speeds blamed on a faulty submarine cable, over the government’s web management system upgrade, and over the broader question of who is actually responsible when connectivity collapses. Senators have repeatedly noted that businesses are being told to avoid operating in Pakistan because of internet issues, a direct threat to the IT export ambitions the government has set as a national priority.
What makes the September 14 session different is the hard October deadline now on record. In past hearings, answers tended to be vague or technical. This time, the PTA Chairman named a month. That is something citizens and senators can hold him to.
What Pakistani Internet Users Should Watch For
If you are a home user, a freelancer, or a small business owner in Pakistan, here is what the October promise means in practice. The PTA has until the end of next month to show measurable Pakistan internet improvement, faster speeds, fewer drop-outs, and more stable signals especially in cities like Lahore where outages have been reported most loudly.
If you are on a Ufone or Telenor SIM, the network integration is the key variable. As the two networks merge their infrastructure, there may be short periods of weaker coverage in specific areas before things stabilise. The PTA’s job is to make sure operators are held to quality benchmarks during this transition.
Pakistan’s Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) publishes quality-of-service data that you can use to check whether operators are meeting their targets. If October passes without visible improvement, that public data will be the first place to look for evidence.
It is also worth noting that the 5G rollout mentioned by the PTA Chairman sits alongside all of this. Pakistan’s banks are already investing heavily in mobile-first services, which means the pressure on reliable data connectivity will only grow. A faster, more stable network is not just convenient, it is the foundation for digital financial services that millions of Pakistanis are starting to depend on.
For the broader PTCL group, getting the Ufone-Telenor integration right is not just a technical exercise. It is a test of whether Pakistan can handle a major commercial telecom merger without punishing the very subscribers those networks are supposed to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Pakistan internet speed actually improve?
PTA Chairman Hafizur Rehman told the Senate committee on September 14, 2026 that Pakistan internet improvement is expected by October 2026. This is a public commitment made under parliamentary questioning, so there is accountability attached to the deadline.
Is the Ufone-Telenor merger causing internet problems?
Senators raised this question directly at the September 14 committee meeting. The merger officially completed on July 1, 2026 after the Islamabad High Court approved it. Integrating two large networks takes time and can cause disruptions. The PTA said the process is ongoing and did not rule out the merger as a contributing factor to current service issues.
What is the Ufone-Telenor merger and how big is it?
PTCL acquired Telenor Pakistan in a deal that began in December 2023 and closed on December 31, 2025. PTA approved the technical network merger in March 2026 and the court finalised it in July 2026. The combined company now covers about 35.9% of Pakistan’s mobile market, making it nearly equal in size to market leader Jazz.
What can I do if my internet does not improve by October?
You can file a formal complaint with the PTA through its consumer complaint portal at pta.gov.pk. You can also track published quality-of-service reports on the PTA website. If October passes without visible Pakistan internet improvement, the Senate committee is the right forum to raise the issue, senators are already watching and have shown they will push for answers.
