ISLAMABAD – Zong, Pakistan’s second-largest mobile network operator with over 50 million subscribers, landed in hot water once again, and now PTA comes down hard on the telecom giant with Rs 3.89 crore fine.
As per a recent report, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) imposed hefty Rs38.889 million fine on CMPak Limited, commonly known as Zong, over persistent shortcomings in network performance and failure to meet prescribed Quality of Service (QoS) standards. The enforcement order was issued on September 18, 2026, under Section 23 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996.
The decision was taken by a PTA bench comprising Chairman Maj. Gen. Hafeez Ur Rehman (R), Member Compliance and Enforcement Dr. Khawar Siddique Khokhar and Member Finance Muhammad Naveed at PTA headquarters in Islamabad.
It comes after series of PTA QoS surveys conducted during the first three quarters of 2025. The regulator tested Zong’s services in 53 cities, examining voice calls, SMS performance and mobile broadband against prescribed KPIs. The findings raised red flags at several locations.
During the first quarter, Kandiaro was identified with degraded performance. The second-quarter surveys flagged Buner, Chiniot, Larkana, Mansehra, Pindi Bhattian and Umerkot. The third quarter brought further concerns in Hafizabad, Khanpur and Layyah.
PTA communicated the deficiencies to Zong throughout the year and sought corrective measures. The company subsequently told the regulator that it had optimized its network and addressed the reported problems. But the story did not end there as a follow-up verification survey during the fourth quarter of 2025 found that problems were still present in Buner, Matiari, Murree and Pindi Bhattian.
That prompted PTA to issue a Show Cause Notice to Zong on April 8, 2026, followed by a formal hearing on June 17. Senior Zong directors, technical officials and legal representatives appeared during the proceedings.
The teleco defended its network performance with technical documents, drive-test logs and root-cause assessments, giving different explanations for each location. In Matiari, the company linked problems involving Network Accessibility and Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR) to temporary site availability issues, saying they were subsequently resolved.
In Pindi Bhattian, Zong challenged PTA’s assessment of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP). The company disputed the regulator’s 85 percent confidence assessment and pointed to its own logs, which it said showed 97.10 percent Auto Mode RSRP.
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The operator also linked multiple deficiencies in Murree to the area’s mountainous terrain. The issues there included CSSR, Call Completion Ratio (CCR), SMS Success Rate and RSRP. Zong argued that mountains, signal blockage, shadowing and roadside testing outside the main city centre had affected the results.
The regulator, however, was not convinced. PTA maintained that difficult terrain, population density and temporary network disruptions do not exempt a licensed telecom operator from meeting mandatory service standards. The authority also made clear that fixing a problem after a survey does not wipe out a violation recorded during an official assessment.
In other words, later network optimization could not retrospectively change the results of the original PTA tests. The regulator referred to License Condition 6.5.1 and Section 21(4)(g) of the telecom law, stressing that operators are required to maintain the prescribed quality of service on a continuing basis.
30 Days to Pay Rs 38.889 Million
PTA has ordered Zong to deposit the Rs 38.889 million fine within 30 days of the enforcement order. The company has also been directed to submit a comprehensive technical compliance report within the same period. The report must demonstrate that the network problems identified by the regulator have been permanently rectified.
Failure to comply could trigger further legal proceedings under the applicable telecom law.
The latest action against Zong comes at a time when PTA is stepping up scrutiny of telecom operators over service quality. On September 10, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication also expressed concern over the poor state of internet services and was told by PTA that operators are given time to correct QoS deficiencies before show-cause notices and fines are imposed. The committee sought details of recent notices, penalties, recoveries and outstanding amounts.
Zong already Faced Heavy Penalties
Rs 38.889 million penalty adds to a string of regulatory actions involving Zong. In April last year, Zong reportedly gets Rs 68.9 million QoS-related penalty concerning poor network performance in Peshawar, including low availability and speeds. However, some coverage described the figure as a cumulative amount involving multiple operators over a longer period.
PTA imposes Rs116.7 million fine on Zong over issuance of unauthorized SIMs
In May 2025, PTA ordered Zong to pay an additional $11.77 million late-payment fee linked to the delayed renewal of its 2019 mobile license. The regulator rejected arguments related to court proceedings and proceeded under Section 23 of the 1996 Telecom Act.
Then came a series of major penalties in 2026. In June this year, PTA imposed two separate Rs 116.7 million fines over unauthorized SIM activations and failures involving physical-presence verification and Live Finger Detection at Zong franchises in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi.
In August, another Rs 77.8 million penalty was imposed over violations of the 100-metre geo-fencing requirement for biometric devices used during SIM sales. And now, in September, the regulator has added another Rs 38.889 million to the tally over persistent network-quality failures.
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