Every Pakistani mobile user has asked this question at some point: which network is actually fastest in my city? The usual answers come from shopkeepers, friends, and advertisements — and they rarely agree. One person swears by Jazz, another says Zong is unbeatable, and a third insists their network is fine while yours keeps buffering. In September 2026, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority gave the country something better than opinions: measured results from a drive test across 11 Pakistani cities.
This guide explains what PTA’s test found, which network came out fastest where, and — most importantly — how to use those results properly before you port your number to a new network. Because the test answers one question well (which network is fastest across a city) and a different question badly (which network will be fastest on your street), and knowing the difference is what saves you from a bad switch.
What PTA Actually Tested
PTA carried out a drive test of mobile networks in 11 Pakistani cities. The testing ran from April to June 2026, and the report was published on 18 September 2026. A drive test means test teams drive along set routes with measurement equipment, checking the mobile networks as they go — download speed, signal strength, and whether the service meets PTA’s minimum standards.
That method matters for how you read the results. A drive test covers a lot of ground in a city, which makes it good for comparing networks across a whole city. But it is a snapshot of the routes driven during those months, not a permanent verdict on every corner of every city. Networks change: new towers go up, old ones get upgraded, and busy areas get congested at different times. The results below are the official findings of that April to June 2026 test, and they are the best public comparison available — as long as you use them the right way, which this guide shows you below.
The Headline Results: Jazz Fastest in 9 Cities, Zong in 2
The headline finding is clear. Jazz recorded the fastest mobile download speed in 9 of the 11 cities tested. Zong recorded the fastest download speed in the other 2 cities: Abbottabad and Rawalpindi.
That is the whole verified leaderboard. Nine cities to Jazz, two to Zong — and the two Zong cities are named: Abbottabad and Rawalpindi. If you live in Abbottabad or Rawalpindi, the measured result points to Zong. In the other nine cities tested, the measured result points to Jazz.
The second headline finding is a warning, not a winner. Telenor’s 4G signal fell below PTA’s minimum standard in 6 of the 11 cities — including Lahore and Islamabad. Falling below the regulator’s minimum is not the same as having no signal at all. It means that in those cities, the measured 4G signal strength did not reach the level PTA requires. For a user, that can show up as slower data, weaker indoor coverage, or a phone that drops to a slower connection more often. If you are on Telenor in Lahore or Islamabad and your data feels slow, this finding is official evidence that your experience is not just in your head.
What the Test Found at a Glance
Here is everything the test verified, in one table. Notice what is not in the table: no speed figures in megabits, no ranking of every city, and no claims about streets or neighbourhoods. Those details are not in the verified findings, and this guide does not invent them.
| Finding | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Jazz fastest download speed in 9 of 11 cities | In most tested cities, Jazz delivered the quickest downloads on the test routes |
| Zong fastest download speed in Abbottabad | In Abbottabad, Zong was the measured speed leader |
| Zong fastest download speed in Rawalpindi | In Rawalpindi, Zong was the measured speed leader |
| Telenor 4G below PTA minimum in 6 of 11 cities | In six tested cities, Telenor’s measured 4G signal did not meet the regulator’s minimum |
| Lahore and Islamabad among the Telenor below-minimum cities | Two of Pakistan’s biggest cities are on that below-minimum list |
| Tests run April–June 2026, report published 18 September 2026 | These are fresh 2026 results, not old figures recycled from earlier years |
Read the table as a city-level comparison, not a street-level promise. That distinction is the most important part of this guide, and it gets its own section next.
A Drive Test Measures Roads, Not Your Street
A drive test measures the roads its teams drove and the busy areas along those routes. It does not measure your street. It does not measure your building. It does not measure your floor, your room, or the corner of your house where you usually sit with your phone.
That matters because mobile signal is local in a way city averages are not. A tower two streets away can be blocked by a tall building. A basement flat gets a weaker signal than the third floor of the same building. A network that is fastest across a city can still be slow inside one particular house, and a network that is below minimum on the main road can still work fine in a home near a tower.
So use PTA’s results to shortlist, not to decide. If the test says Jazz was fastest in your city, Jazz goes to the top of your shortlist. If it says Zong was fastest in Abbottabad or Rawalpindi and you live there, Zong goes to the top of yours. But the shortlist is step one, not the whole decision. Step two happens at your own address, and it is the step most people skip — then regret the port.
Step 1: Shortlist by Your City’s Winner
Start with the test result for your city. If your city is Abbottabad or Rawalpindi, the measured winner is Zong. In the other nine cities tested, the measured winner is Jazz. That gives you a starting point backed by measurement rather than by a shopkeeper’s recommendation or an advertisement.
Be honest about one limit here: the test covered 11 cities, and this guide names only the cities the verified findings name. If your city was not among the tested cities, or if you are unsure whether it was, do not guess — move straight to step two, which works anywhere. The home test below is the part that actually protects you, whether or not your city has a measured winner.
Also remember that “fastest download speed” is one measurement, not the whole experience. A network can be fastest at downloading and still have patchy coverage in your area, expensive packages for your usage, or weak indoor signal at your home. Speed is the headline, but it is not the only thing that makes a network good for you. That is why step three exists.
Step 2: Test at Your Own Home Before You Commit
This is the step that saves you from porting to a network that is fast across your city but slow in your house. Before you move your number, test the shortlisted network where you actually use your phone: your home, your street, and your workplace if you use data there too.
The simplest way is to borrow a test: ask a friend or family member who already uses that network to check their signal and speed at your home. Open a video, load a few pages, and see how it behaves indoors — not just standing outside, where every network looks good. If their phone struggles in your living room, yours will too.
The second way is a trial SIM. Buy a cheap prepaid SIM on the shortlisted network and use it for a few days as a second SIM, if your phone supports two SIMs. Use it at home in the evening, when networks are busiest, and at the times you normally use data most. A few days of real use at your own address tells you more than any city average ever will. This is advice, not a rule — but it is the cheapest insurance against a port you regret.
Test at the times that matter to you. A network that flies at noon can crawl at nine in the evening when everyone in your area is online. If you mostly use data at night, test at night. If your work depends on daytime data, test in the daytime. And test indoors, where you actually live, not only on the street outside.
Step 3: Packages and Coverage at Your Address Matter as Much as Speed
A fast network with a package you cannot afford is not a good network for you. Before you port, compare the monthly packages on the shortlisted network against what you actually use: how much data you need, whether you need call minutes, and what you currently pay. Our cheapest monthly internet packages guide is linked at the end of this article, and it is worth reading alongside these results, because the cheapest fast network is usually the right answer — not simply the fastest one.
Coverage at your address matters just as much. Ask yourself three questions. First, does the network work well inside your home, not just outside? Second, does it work at the other places you spend time — your office, your university, your family’s home? Third, does it work on the routes you travel daily? A network that is brilliant at home but dead on your commute is a poor trade if you use data on the move.
Also think about what you actually do with your phone. If you mostly use WhatsApp and browse, even a modest speed feels fine, and package price and coverage matter more than the top download speed. If you stream video or download large files, speed matters more. Match the network to your usage, not to the headline.
What to Do If Your Current Network Is the Problem
Some readers will come to this guide from the other direction: not choosing a new network, but frustrated with the one they already have. If your signal is weak, your calls drop, or your data crawls, there is a separate process for that — complaining to your operator first, then to PTA if the operator does not fix it. That complaint route is covered in full in our weak-signals and dropped-calls complaint guide, linked at the end of this article.
Keep the two jobs separate in your head. This guide is for choosing a network by measured city speed before you port. The complaint guide is for fixing a network you already have. If your current network is below standard in your area, you have two choices: complain and give it a chance to improve, or use the results above to shortlist a better one and test it at home first. Either way, do not port blind — the home test in step two is what makes the difference.
A Short Checklist Before You Port
Run through this list before you move your number anywhere:
- Check your city’s measured winner: Zong in Abbottabad and Rawalpindi, Jazz in the other nine tested cities.
- Test the shortlisted network at your home, indoors, at the times you actually use data — with a friend’s phone or a trial prepaid SIM.
- Compare monthly packages against your real usage and budget, not against advertisements.
- Check coverage at your office, your commute route, and your family’s home, not just your own house.
- Remember that a port keeps your number but changes your network — so the home test is your last chance to catch a bad fit before you commit.
If every box is ticked and the shortlisted network passes the home test, port with confidence: you chose by measurement and confirmed by experience. If the home test fails, trust the home test over the city result. Your street is where you live, not the test route.
The city-level findings in this guide — Jazz fastest in 9 of 11 cities, Zong fastest in Abbottabad and Rawalpindi, and Telenor 4G below PTA’s minimum in 6 cities including Lahore and Islamabad — were reported by Pakera, covering PTA’s drive test of 11 cities run from April to June 2026 and published on 18 September 2026.
Also read: Weak Signals or Dropped Calls? How to Complain So Your Operator and PTA Actually Fix It and Cheapest Monthly Internet Packages in Pakistan (October 2026)
FAQs
Which network is fastest in Pakistan according to PTA’s 2026 test?
There is no single nationwide winner in the test — it depends on the city. Jazz recorded the fastest mobile download speed in 9 of the 11 cities tested, and Zong recorded the fastest in the other 2, Abbottabad and Rawalpindi. Use your own city’s result, not a national slogan, when you shortlist.
Is Telenor’s 4G really below standard in Lahore and Islamabad?
According to PTA’s April–June 2026 drive test, Telenor’s 4G signal fell below PTA’s minimum in 6 of the 11 cities tested, and Lahore and Islamabad are among those cities. Below minimum means the measured signal did not reach the level PTA requires — it does not mean there is no signal at all, but it can explain slow data or weak indoor coverage in those cities.
Should I port immediately to my city’s fastest network?
Not immediately. Use the city result to shortlist, then test the network at your own home before you port — with a friend’s phone on that network or a cheap trial prepaid SIM, indoors, at the times you normally use data. A city winner can still be slow on your street, in your building, or on your floor, so the home test is the step that protects you.
What if my city was not in PTA’s 11-city test?
Then skip the city shortlist and go straight to the home test: try the networks you are considering at your own address, compare their monthly packages against your usage, and check coverage at your office and commute route too. The home test works anywhere, with or without a measured city winner.