RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The number of 3G and 4G users in Pakistan reached 68.07 million by end-May 2019, said Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

Number of mobile phone users in Pakistan reached 161.183 million by end-May compared to 161.01 million by end-April, which registered an increase of 0.173 million during the period under review.

Jazz’s total count for 3G users stood at 13.192 million by end-May compared to 13.393 million by end-April, which registered a decrease of 0.201 million. Jazz 4G user numbers jumped from 9.618 million by end-April to 10.337 million by end-May.

Zong 3G subscribers decreased from 8.779 million by end-April to 8.678 million by end May while the number of 4G users jumped from 12.056 million by end-April to 12.302 million by end-May.

The number of 3G users of Telenor network decreased from 8.640 million by end-April to 8.374 million by end-May i.e. which registered a decline of 0.266 million. The number of 4G users jumped from 6.186 million by end-April to 6.301 million by end-May.

Ufone 3G users decreased from 7.646 million by end-April to 7.187 million by end-May, registering a decline of 0.459 million. The number of 4G users of Ufone increased from 1.156 million to 1.694 million during the aforementioned period.

Teledensity for cellular mobile increased from 76.67 percent by end-April to 76.76 per cent to end-May and broadband subscribers reached 70.164 million by end-May compared to 69.577 million from end-April.

The PTA received 8,452 complaints from telecom consumers against different telecom operators including (cellular operators, PTCL, LDIs, WLL operators and ISPs) as of May 2019.

According to the PTA data, Jazz (Mobilink + Warid) leads the chart with 2,525 complaints and Telenor stands at second position as the most complained telecom operator with 1,862 complaints.

The PTA said that it was able to get 6,959 complaints resolved i.e. 97.18 percent.

The cellular mobile subscribers constitute major part of overall telecom subscriber base; therefore, maximum number of complaints belongs to this segment. Total number of complaints against CMOs by May stood at 7,161.

In terms of the segregation of complaints on operator basis, a total of 2,525 complaints were received against Jazz which is 35.26% of the total CMO related complaints.

Telenor, which has the second largest number of consumers, was also second with 1,862 complaints i.e. 26 percent complaints were received against it.

Zong stood third with 1,570 complaints i.e. 21.92 percent of total complaints.

Ufone had 1,204 complaints against its various services which make up 16.8 percent of the total CMO related complaints.

The PTA also received 434 complaints against basic telephony of which 426 were addressed during May 2019. Further 840 complaints were received against ISPs of which 831 were addressed.