4G/3G in Pakistan

[moh12]

I need some help please. I will probably visiting and need access to reliable Internet. (Sargodha).

Can you please tell me how good 4G is in Pakistan? What is the average speed? How reliable is it? I would need it for 6-8 hours without any outage (work purposes). Can it be tethered to a laptop or desktop computer? Some providers seem to have usage caps so what happens if you reach this cap. Is it simple to get extra GB's if required.

Thanks for any help or information.

 

[Hawkeye]

Don't bother with 3g.

Get Zong 4G if it's available in the area you're staying. Can get 20-38mbps speed. Or try Warid 4g if available.

If 4g isn't there, try Zong and Mobilink 3g.

 

[Slog]

Tbh I don't really know how good the 3G 4g will be in villages and small towns

 

[moh12]

Thanks for the answers. I won't be in the village as I can see on the coverage map it's not available. That leaves the city centre area. Do you know if it can tethered to laptop / computer?

 

[Azzurri]

4g of 3G Internet is terrible in sargodha .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[moh12]

4g of 3G Internet is terrible in sargodha .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shame. That doesn't inspire confidence.

 

[Syed1]

Quite unfortunate that in this day and age, 3G/4G is not wide spread in Pakistan.

Sargodha also happens to lie smack in the middle of the most populous province of Pakistan, which means the remote areas will hardly get cell phone signals let alone 3G/4G.

 

[ZaynM]

Quite unfortunate that in this day and age, 3G/4G is not wide spread in Pakistan.

Sargodha also happens to lie smack in the middle of the most populous province of Pakistan, which means the remote areas will hardly get cell phone signals let alone 3G/4G.

Syed1, 3G and 4G is not even wide spread in Canada and America let alone Pakistan so lets go easy here. It arrived in Pakistan just a few years back and the penetration has been quite quick.

Also, how does being in the middle of populous province equates to hardly getting cell phone signals? The premise to this argument is wrong. I have to ask, have you ever been to Pakistan?

For the OP: Zong is the best 3G+4G provider. I am using Warid currently as i am their really old customer. Their LTE speeds arent that good. Zong has really good LTE speeds which usually cross 30 MBPS easily and has been recently rated by PTA as the best 3G+4G provider as well. So, i would recommend getting their internet only sim if you just want to use data. You might want to check their website for the coverage map.

 

[moh12]

Thank you all for the answers. As per the coverage map I should be okay in the city centre / main areas. Hopefully it works well as I only need decent speed with reliability (no constant disconnections).

A separate point about PTCL broadband. The speeds offered seems quite good but do people actually get them as advertised as well as reliability?

 

[Haroon786]

Syed1, 3G and 4G is not even wide spread in Canada and America let alone Pakistan so lets go easy here. It arrived in Pakistan just a few years back and the penetration has been quite quick.

Also, how does being in the middle of populous province equates to hardly getting cell phone signals? The premise to this argument is wrong. I have to ask, have you ever been to Pakistan?

For the OP: Zong is the best 3G+4G provider. I am using Warid currently as i am their really old customer. Their LTE speeds arent that good. Zong has really good LTE speeds which usually cross 30 MBPS easily and has been recently rated by PTA as the best 3G+4G provider as well. So, i would recommend getting their internet only sim if you just want to use data. You might want to check their website for the coverage map.

3G has been prevalent in the modern world for a long time, it's only 4G that has been introduced recently and hasn't been covered everywhere yet.

 

[Haroon786]

I don't know about the rest of Pakistan, but on my visit last year there was 4G in Islamabad.

 

[emm-tee]

Sargodha? Awesome dude. Visited that place last year (relatives from there). I was using Zong with good speeds and DSL had good speeds too.

You should be fine depending on where in the city you are staying. Electricity outage could cause problems for that duration in between perhaps? Since it's for work.

Where in Sargodha are you visiting? I stayed by the Base.

 

[moh12]

Sargodha? Awesome dude. Visited that place last year (relatives from there). I was using Zong with good speeds and DSL had good speeds too.

You should be fine depending on where in the city you are staying. Electricity outage could cause problems for that duration in between perhaps? Since it's for work.

Where in Sargodha are you visiting? I stayed by the Base.

Relatives are near silanwali road in one of the chaks but would be in the town area to make this work considering unavailable outside of city centre area.

Mostly worried about the electricity outage. If I had the mobile Internet connected to a laptop then I assume it wouldn't be an issue until the battery died. A backup electricity source could help to avoid outage via DSL. A few things to consider.

 

[batool100]

Zong 4g Is best , i am using it now.

 

[zaminabs1]

The networks should think about 4G in AJK where most expats holiday

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Abdullah719]

So which provider is the best and most reliable?

 

[babajee]

So which provider is the best and most reliable?

Idk about Karachi but in Lahore, Zong is definitely the best. I get 4G pretty much all around DHA.

One thing I know is never get Ufone No 4G and the 3G is extremely slow.

 

[mmkextreme_1]

So which provider is the best and most reliable?

Idk about Karachi but in Lahore, Zong is definitely the best. I get 4G pretty much all around DHA.

One thing I know is never get Ufone No 4G and the 3G is extremely slow.

Yes, I would agree. In Lahore Zong is the best. I'm sure in Karachi it would be the same?

 

[Syed1]

So which provider is the best and most reliable?

Is Warid still around? I heard it got acquired by Mobilink or Zong. Now when I go I just use Jazz, since everybody else in my family has that.



Aj kal ke bachay kya jaanay 100 ruppay ke package mein 5000 sms or free late night calling

 

[Abdullah719]

Is Warid still around? I heard it got acquired by Mobilink or Zong. Now when I go I just use Jazz, since everybody else in my family has that.



Aj kal ke bachay kya jaanay 100 ruppay ke package mein 5000 sms or free late night calling

What is SMS, I only know MBs

Your endorsement of Jazz isn't very convincing.

So... Zong?

 

[Syed1]

What is SMS, I only know MBs

Your endorsement of Jazz isn't very convincing.

So... Zong?

Yeah Zong is generally accepted as the best network.... just follow the crowd, they have the highest number of subscribers means they must be doing something right.

 

[babajee]

Zong is pretty cheap as well - I think you can get 10gb data for 600 rupees.

 

[Abdullah719]

Yeah Zong is generally accepted as the best network.... just follow the crowd, they have the highest number of subscribers means they must be doing something right.

They were pretty far down the pecking order when I left. Definitely must be doing something right to have come so far.

Zong is pretty cheap as well - I think you can get 10gb data for 600 rupees.

Sounds good. A lot cheaper than here, and we don't even have 4G

 

[Varun]

Zong is pretty cheap as well - I think you can get 10gb data for 600 rupees.

That sounds fairly expensive, does it not? In India on Airtel for example, you pay 229 monthly for a pre-paid Airtel connection where you get among other things, 1.4GB data per day.

I myself have a postpaid connection and I pay, inclusive of tax, Rs. 533 and get 40GB of data for the month.

 

[babajee]

That sounds fairly expensive, does it not? In India on Airtel for example, you pay 229 monthly for a pre-paid Airtel connection where you get among other things, 1.4GB data per day.

I myself have a postpaid connection and I pay, inclusive of tax, Rs. 533 and get 40GB of data for the month.

I live in UK now where you have to pay more than £15 a month for 10gb data

So for me it’s quite cheap relatively.

 

[Mian]

Warid LTE was amazing but than the blunder of Mobilink and Warid merger happened and the speed is gone really slow thank to the load. Telenor >> Zong >>> Mobilink >>>>>> Ufone

Get the Telenor 4G Wingle and the use the package of 75gb/month that costs 2200 rupees/month

 

[UP]

I was in Pak during Aug/Sept/2017- I had no idea how mobile system worked there and got myself a ufone sim and man it was a garbage network. I dreaded opening internet. I was in Isb/Rwp area and ufone sucked!

 

[moh12]

I was in Pak recently too and used a Telenor sim. It seemed alright and coverage was decent. 1.5GB for selected hours at 15 rupees seems crazy. Good app functionality. I thought instead of creating a new thread I would ask here about home Internet. Is it quite stable or do you guys have dropouts? I am talking about town centre location.

 

[Mamoon]

I was in Pak recently too and used a Telenor sim. It seemed alright and coverage was decent. 1.5GB for selected hours at 15 rupees seems crazy. Good app functionality. I thought instead of creating a new thread I would ask here about home Internet. Is it quite stable or do you guys have dropouts? I am talking about town centre location.

The issue with Telenor’s, or any mobile network’s home internet is that the coverage is very limited.

You need to carry the device around with you to every room if you want uninterrupted connectivity.

I think it is great for an individual but not for a family. The best internet service provider in Pakistan is Nayatel.

 

[moh12]

The issue with Telenor’s, or any mobile network’s home internet is that the coverage is very limited.

You need to carry the device around with you to every room if you want uninterrupted connectivity.

I think it is great for an individual but not for a family. The best internet service provider in Pakistan is Nayatel.

Thanks for your input. Do you experience downtime with Nayatel at home? If so, how often? I'm not sure they are available in Sargodha.

 

[Mamoon]

Thanks for your input. Do you experience downtime with Nayatel at home? If so, how often? I'm not sure they are available in Sargodha.

My experience with Nayatel has been excellent. No issues at all.

Yes I don’t think it is available in Sarghoda.

 

[UP]

Mobile coverage in Pakistan is bad. I mean very bad.

 

[moh12]

Mobile coverage in Pakistan is bad. I mean very bad.

It was pretty good on the motorway between LHE and ISB. In the remote areas getting a signal was hard. I had a spare phone and turned hotspot on. Putting it in the right place allowed a pretty good connection considering in the middle of the countryside.

 

[Syed1]

Mobile coverage in Pakistan is bad. I mean very bad.

What part of Pakistan are you talking about?

 

[Reddy]

The issue with Telenor’s, or any mobile network’s home internet is that the coverage is very limited.

You need to carry the device around with you to every room if you want uninterrupted connectivity.

I think it is great for an individual but not for a family. The best internet service provider in Pakistan is Nayatel.

Yes, relying on wireless internet for home is not advisable. I have a fiber connection at home in addition to my Reliance Jio 4G which gives 1.5 GB per day, unlimited calls and SMS at INR 400 or PKR 800 for 3 months pack, so around INR 130 or PKR 260 per month.

Is Nayatel copper or fiber? what is the plan you get?

 

[Syed1]

Was in Karachi recently and purchased a Jazz SIM with 4G activated. The package I got was 4 GB data for Rs. 300 and if the 4 GB is used up you can just pay 300 more and top it up, no overlimit charges, no hidden fees. The Rs. 300 translates to roughly 3 Canadian Dollars. To give a little perspective I pay $55 here in Canada for 8 GB data.

The data speeds I was getting were also comparable to Canada, often times I was just using data at home as well since our Wifi was a bit shoddy.


Thoroughly impressed with the telecom industry in Pak.

 

[Mamoon]

Yes, relying on wireless internet for home is not advisable. I have a fiber connection at home in addition to my Reliance Jio 4G which gives 1.5 GB per day, unlimited calls and SMS at INR 400 or PKR 800 for 3 months pack, so around INR 130 or PKR 260 per month.

Is Nayatel copper or fiber? what is the plan you get?

Fiber.

I pay PKR 5,000 for 100 GB @ 30 Mbps. More than sufficient for my needs since I don’t download much.

 

[ExpressPacer]

The issue with Telenor’s, or any mobile network’s home internet is that the coverage is very limited.

You need to carry the device around with you to every room if you want uninterrupted connectivity.

I think it is great for an individual but not for a family. The best internet service provider in Pakistan is Nayatel.

I have something this new service called Transworld which is only offered to Defence Housing Authority residents as of now and it is unbelievable. It's a company operating in the gulf and has just come to Pakistan. Way cheaper than Nayatel and 20 Mbs faster.

 

[Reddy]

Fiber.

I pay PKR 5,000 for 100 GB @ 30 Mbps. More than sufficient for my needs since I don’t download much.

That's very expensive for just 100 GB, do you live in a small city in Pakistan? I live in a Tier 2 or smaller city in India and there are no big fiber companies here, still my local fiber company gives me 50 Mbps per month at INR 1500 or PKR 3000 and that is unlimited with my connection crossing 1TB/ 1000 GB many months.

The bigger cities have prices which are at least 50% lower and the Big Reliance Jio Fiber is going to be launched this year in all cities small or big, so my local fibre guy has assured me that he will raise my connection to 100 Mbps unlimited within 2019.

 

[UP]

What part of Pakistan are you talking about?

Isb/Rwp

I’m using Zong LTE and its nowhere near the North American standard. And forget about the 3G.

 

[Mamoon]

That's very expensive for just 100 GB, do you live in a small city in Pakistan? I live in a Tier 2 or smaller city in India and there are no big fiber companies here, still my local fiber company gives me 50 Mbps per month at INR 1500 or PKR 3000 and that is unlimited with my connection crossing 1TB/ 1000 GB many months.

The bigger cities have prices which are at least 50% lower and the Big Reliance Jio Fiber is going to be launched this year in all cities small or big, so my local fibre guy has assured me that he will raise my connection to 100 Mbps unlimited within 2019.

I live in a provincial capital. The problem for us is that there is very little competition, so the few companies that we have can rip off its customers.

 

[Mamoon]

I have something this new service called Transworld which is only offered to Defence Housing Authority residents as of now and it is unbelievable. It's a company operating in the gulf and has just come to Pakistan. Way cheaper than Nayatel and 20 Mbs faster.

I think I have heard about it. Few years down the line, internet will be dirt cheap here. There is going to be considerable growth.

 

[Itachi]

I live in a provincial capital. The problem for us is that there is very little competition, so the few companies that we have can rip off its customers.

India was same. Until the arrival of jio which disrupted the whole market.

Now I am on a plan of 3gb per day for 3 months at the cost of $8.

 

[Reddy]

Was in Karachi recently and purchased a Jazz SIM with 4G activated. The package I got was 4 GB data for Rs. 300 and if the 4 GB is used up you can just pay 300 more and top it up, no overlimit charges, no hidden fees. The Rs. 300 translates to roughly 3 Canadian Dollars. To give a little perspective I pay $55 here in Canada for 8 GB data.

The data speeds I was getting were also comparable to Canada, often times I was just using data at home as well since our Wifi was a bit shoddy.

Thoroughly impressed with the telecom industry in Pak.

But you cannot compare the telecom pricing of Pakistan with other developed countries like Canada, US etc, you have to compare with other developing countries like India, Bangladesh etc.

I have Reliance Jio 4G and the pricing is INR 130 or PKR 260 or 2.4 canadian dollars for 45 GB 4G Data, Unlimited calls and SMS for the month. Along with this i also get free access to apps like Jio TV which shows all TV channels on the move, Jio music/Saavn and Jio Cinema app which have latest songs and movies.

I live in a provincial capital. The problem for us is that there is very little competition, so the few companies that we have can rip off its customers.

Capital cities should have better plans, In the future more competition will finish off players who are such a huge Rip off, I give two years tops for such pitiful plans disappearing.

 

[Reddy]

India was same. Until the arrival of jio which disrupted the whole market.

Now I am on a plan of 3gb per day for 3 months at the cost of $8.

That 100 GB per month plan he is talking about is on Fiber not mobile plan, the mobile pricing is posted by the people in the above posts.

In India, till now Big cities had cheap fiber connections, with Jio fiber launch this year even smaller cities will get awesome fiber pricing, 2019 will be the year crashing fiber prices all over India just like 2016 was 4G revolution and price crash.

My Local fibre guy in a small city is already scared and has promised to increased by speeds from 50 to 100 Mbps within 2019. Anyway too less data limit on fibre is meaningless, i routinely cross 1TB data per month, but for most people i guess 500GB should be enough.

 

[ExpressPacer]

I think I have heard about it. Few years down the line, internet will be dirt cheap here. There is going to be considerable growth.

I would hope so. The internet speeds need to improve on the mass scale and the internet needs to be made more accessible throughout Pakistan, like the Northern areas of Gilgit-Baltistan. People are educated and sensible up there and I am sure they'd use the internet for better purposes than a lot of people in bigger cities.

 

[Itachi]

That 100 GB per month plan he is talking about is on Fiber not mobile plan, the mobile pricing is posted by the people in the above posts.

In India, till now Big cities had cheap fiber connections, with Jio fiber launch this year even smaller cities will get awesome fiber pricing, 2019 will be the year crashing fiber prices all over India just like 2016 was 4G revolution and price crash.

My Local fibre guy in a small city is already scared and has promised to increased by speeds from 50 to 100 Mbps within 2019. Anyway too less data limit on fibre is meaningless, i routinely cross 1TB data per month, but for most people i guess 500GB should be enough.

I am still holding on Vodafone 4g for its speed. I am not that high user so 3gb per day does most work.

If i need more, I use the night unlimited data where I can download average 50 gb between 1 to 6am (the tower is very near my home).

But am waiting for jio fiber. There isn't even one provider in my city. I have high hopes from jio that it will actually provide to the masses than airtel which always limits it to bigger cities.