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To be recognized as a leading organization that values Customers needs and provides motoring
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Mission:
Develop products of superior value by focusing on the customer
Establish a refreshing and innovative company through teamwork

Strive for individual excellence through continuous improvement

Zong has come out as a clearer winner in data speeds, Pakistan Telecommunication
Authoritys Quality of Service (QoS) survey has raised question marks on the Cellular
Mobile Operators (CMOs) while saying that call connection time of all the mobile
operators is not satisfactory.

3G speeds of mobile operators is averaging below 2Mbps for Ufone and Telenor while
Mobilinks average 3G speed stood at 5.04Mbps and Zong topped the charts with
7.71Mbps of average 3G speeds on its network.

It wont be out of place to mention that Telenors average speed for 3G network
decreased from 2.2Mbps during PTAs previous QoS survey to 1.94Mbps. However,
Ufone, Mobilink and Zong were able to increase average speeds of their 3G networks
since the last survey that was conducted last year.
PTA said that it carried out this comprehensive Quality of Service (QoS) Survey of 2G
and 3G networks in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar to check voice and data QoS
as per the required standards.

PTA said that its QoS Survey is in progress in other cities of Pakistan.

PTA didnt survey 4G Networks this time.

Adhoc QoS survey results clearly indicate that operators 3G operators with 10MHz
frequency spectrum is higher than that of the Internet data speed provided by 3G
operators with 5MHz frequency spectrum.

More details in below graphs:

Also Read: Should PTA Adopt Web and App Based QoS Surveys for 3G and 4G
Networks?

3G Speeds

PTA, in its survey, found that data throughput of all 3G operators is higher than the
benchmark set in their respective licenses.

Data throughput of Zong is the highest followed by Mobilink, whereas data throughput of
Ufone is the lowest among all NGMS operators.

Signal Strength
PTAs QoS survey revealed that signal strength of all 3G/4G operators are above the
benchmark indicating good coverage in majority of the covered areas.

The lower the value of signal strength on negative axis, the higher is the signal strength.

PTA noted that overall signal strength of Ufone and Telenor networks is comparatively
better than those of Zong and Mobilink but because of more frequency spectrum used
by Zong and Mobilink for 3G/4G networks, their quality is superior.

Network Accessibility 2G Networks

Network Accessibility is the probability that mobile services are available to an end
customer by display of network indicator on the mobile phone throughout the entire
duration of usage.
PTA found that Network Accessibility of all the mobile operators is satisfactory.

Grade of 2G Services
Grade of Service is probability that the end customer cannot access the mobile services
when requested if it is offered by display of the network indicator on the mobile phone.
In simple words, Grade of Service is Network Blocking

All mobile operators are meeting the specified Grade of Service thats obligated in their
license terms.

Call Connection Time

Call Connection Time is the time between sending of complete call initiation information
by the caller and in return receipt of call setup notification.

In simple words, it is time between dialing a number and hearing ring-back tone.
According to PTAs findings, the call connection time of all the mobile operators is not
satisfactory and they need to do better in terms of connecting voice calls.

Call Completion Ratio

Call Completion Ratio is the probability that a service, once obtained, will continue to be
provided under given conditions for a given time duration or until deliberately terminated
by either caller (A-party) or receiver (B-party).

In simple words, this KPI provides information about Call Drops.

Call Completion Ratio for Mobilink and Ufone is below the required standard, whereas
other three mobile operators are meeting the standard.
End to End Speech Quality

End-to-End Speech Quality of all the mobile operators is above the standard.

SMS Success Rate

SMS Success Rate is the probability that the short message is delivered successfully,
end-to-end when requested and display of the relevant information on the mobile
phone.

It provides information about successful delivery of SMS.

PTA said that SMS success rate for Mobilink and Warid Telecom is below the standard,
whereas other mobile operators are meeting the standard.
End to End SMS Delivery Time
End-to-End SMS Delivery Time is the time between sending a short message to a short
message center and receiving the very same short message at intended mobile phone
(receiver).

It provides average time taken for delivery of short message from sender to recipient.

Cellular users in the country have crossed 105 million mark in February 2011 to reach a total of 105,151,871 mobile subscription,
according to the data released by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.

PTA said that cellular teledensity in February 2011 reached 63.2 percent showing 0.8 percent growth rate in February 2011 alone.

Stats said that all five cellular companies showed consistency in adding 1,145,103 mobile phone users in February 2011, as
compared to 1,229,381 cell users in January 2011.

During January and February 2011 Mobilink remained at top in terms of new sales with 705,203 new subscriptions, followed
by Zong, which managed to add 703,322 mobile phone users to its network to surpass 9 million subscribers mark.

Telenor added 696,060 users in reported two months. Warid could add 176,150 new users while Ufoneadded only 93,750 users due
to clean-up of records.
Operators Tariff Comparison
PhoneWorld team has tried to study the various packages available in the market by all the
five mobile operators and tried to make a comparison of these tariffs in a simple format that
can be understood by not only a retailer but ordinary consumer.
Please note that the comparison is done by interpolating call rates to a standard flat rate of
per min call. The day and night offers slab rates have not been included in this comparison
along with other perks offered by different operators. For detail view on your required
selected package please visit their respective website before finalizing your decision.
Generally, the tariff in Pakistan by mobile operators is categorized into Prepaid and
Postpaid. Because of the scarcity of space we have taken on-net (within the mobile
network) and off-net (outside of the mobile network) of each per minute tariff that are of
interest to the consumers;
You can also view Pakistan Mobile 3G Data Tariff Comparison

Prepaid Tariff Comparison

Lowest On-net Calls Per Min

Tariff comparison lowest prepaid on-net calls

Lowest On-net Calls Per Min from the packages available that are provided by the operators
on their web site, Warids Glow 2 has the lowest on-net tariff followed by Telenor Talkshowk
A1, whereas Ufone 30 Sec has the highest on-net tariff with Mobilink Jazz and Zong closely
following as number 2 & 3 respectively. The difference is quite substantial of almost 40%
between the highest and the lowest packages being offered by Ufone & Warid respectively.

The values calculated here are done according to flat call rate per min, i.e. it may seem that
Ufone 30Second package is expensive but the actual billing is Rs.0.83 / 30 Seconds. Similar
is the case with Zong 45 whose billing is Rs0.45 / 20 Seconds]

Lowest Off-net Calls Per Min

Warids Glow 2 again has the lowest off-net tariff followed by Telenor Dejuice and Zong 45,
whereas Jazz First has the highest off-net tariff with Ufone 30 Sec closely following as
number 2. The difference is again quite substantial of almost more than 50% between the
highest and the lowest packages being offered by Mobilink & Warid respectively.

The values calculated here are done according to flat call rate per min, i.e. it may seem that
Ufone 30Second package is expensive but the actual billing is Rs.0.83 / 30 Seconds. Similar
is the case with Zong 45 whose billing is Rs0.45 / 20 Seconds.
Postpaid Tariff Comparison
Lowest On-net Calls Per Min
Warids W4000 has zero tariff for On-net calls. The 02nd and 3rd lowest tariff are from
Ufone U1999 and Mobilink Munlimited. Whereas as, Telenor Karobar 100 and Zongs has the
highest and 02nd highest tarrif for On-Net calls in the lowest Postpaid category. The highest
postpaid tariff for the lowest on net call is around 1.1 Rs/min. However, the it is important
to note that Warid has Rs. 4000 fixed fee/month to avail this package whereas Ufone has
Rs. 1999/month fixed charges for the tariff shown. The consumer needs to check his
consumption for availaing the best possible package across operators.

The values calculated here are done according to flat call rate per min, i.e. it may seem that
that Warid W4000Unlimited is better than the rest but you will have to pay 4000 per month
in advance whether you use this facility or not, while other operator packages; for instance
for Telenor Karobar 100 we will be paying only 100 per month in advance. In addition to
this there are other factors to look into such as free voice minutes, free sms, internet data
package, etc. Please visit respective website for details.

Lowest Off-net Calls Per Min

Warids W4000 with 0.62/min is the lowest tariff for Off-net calls. The 02nd and 3rd lowest
tariff are from Ufone U3999 and Mobilink Munlimited. Whereas as, Telenor Karobar 100 and
 Zongs EconoXcess0 has the highest and 02nd highest tarrif for Off Net calls in the lowest
Postpaid category. The highest postpaid tariff for the lowest off net call is around 1.5
Rs/min.

The values calculated here are done according to flat call rate per min, i.e. it may seem that
that Warid W4000Unlimited is better than the rest but you will have to pay 4000 per month
in advance whether you use this facility or not, while other operator packages; for instance
for Telenor Karobar 100 we will be paying only 100 per month in advance. In addition to
this there are other factors to look into such as free voice minutes, free sms, internet data
package, etc. Please visit respective website for details.

Postpaid Comparison On-Net Calls per Minute (300 PKR Line Rent)
The graph below facilitates the end user in choosing a suitable postpaid plan in accordance
to On-Net calls i.e. if most of the usage is within the same network. The chart shows how
much a call cost per minute within the same network across different operators in their
respective postpaid package. This might help the end user to choose an operator and under
that a package suitable enough within a specific price range. The following graph for
consumers with Rs. 300 and Rs.600 price range. For other price bracket it may vary, please
visit our web site for the other price brackets.
Warids W250 has the lowest On-net tariff of Rs. 0.6/min with 02nd and 3rd lowest tariff
from Zong ProXcess299 and Telenor Karobar 300. Whereas as, Mobilink M300 and Ufone
U249 has the highest and 02nd highest tarrif respectively for On-Net calls in this price
bracket. The highest postpaid tariff for this slab is around 1.5 Rs/min.

The values calculated here are done according to flat call rate per min, i.e. it may seem that
that Warid W250 is better than the rest but in addition to this there are other factors to look
into such as free voice minutes, free sms, internet data package, etc. Please visit respective
website for details.

Postpaid Comparison Off-Net Calls per Minute(300 PKR Line Rent)

The graph below facilitates the end user in choosing a suitable postpaid plan in accordance
to Off-Net calls i.e. if most of the usage is outside the network. The chart shows how much
a call cost per minute across different operators in their respective postpaid package. This
might help the end user to choose an operator and under that a package suitable enough
within a specific price range. The following graph is again for consumers with Rs. 300 and
Rs.600 price range. For other price bracket it may vary, please visit our web site for the
other price brackets.
Warids W250 has the lowest Off-net tariff of Rs. 0.8/min with 02nd from Zong ProXcess299
and 3rd lowest tariff from both Telenor Karobar 300 and Mobilink M300 which are equal.
Ufone U249 has the highest tarrif for Off-Net calls in this price bracket. The highest postpaid
tariff for this slab is around 1.6 Rs/min.

The values calculated here are done according to flat call rate per min, i.e. it may seem that
that Warid W250 is better than the rest but in addition to this there are other factors to look
into such as free voice minutes, free sms, internet data package, etc. Please visit respective
website for details.

Postpaid Comparison On-Net Calls per Minute(600 PKR Line Rent)

Postpaid Comparison Off-Net Calls per Minute(600 PKR Line Rent)

Postpaid Comparison On-Net Calls per Minute(1000 PKR Line Rent)

Postpaid Comparison Off-Net Calls per Minute(1000 PKR Line Rent)

Postpaid Comparison On-Net Calls per Minute(1500 PKR Line Rent)

Postpaid Comparison Off-Net Calls per Minute(1500 PKR Line Rent)

Postpaid Comparison On-Net Calls per Minute(3000 PKR Line Rent)

Postpaid Comparison Off-Net Calls per Minute(3000 PKR Line Rent)

All mobile operators are meeting the standard for End-to-End SMS Delivery Time.

strong and holds a decent resale value too.

At the same time when President Bill Clinton signed telecommunication Act 1996 and vowed that it
would help to create an open market place where competition and innovation can move as quick as
light in USA, Pakistan also erected Telecom Re-organization Act 1996 with the same vision and to
increase the telecom access in Pakistan. Telecom sector was placed under the regulator under this
Act which tasked the Authority to improve telecom facilities in the country. Today, telecom regulator
can rightly be proud to say that it has achieved the growth in the sector in short span of time (less
than a decade) what the country could not achieve in five decades.

The year 2003 was a historic year in the history of telecom in Pakistan whereby Pakistan opened the
telecom market to private operators for fixedline and introduced much awaited competition in the
cellular mobile sector. Impressed with similar economies and geographical position of Pakistan,
Telecom regulator introduced Wireless Local Loop technology in the country. Pakistan issued two
more licenses to cellular companies of world fame @ US $ 291 million each in open bidding. PTA
adopted a novel way to auction the licenses which could be replicated by the Asian countries to give
away licenses. It was two stage open bidding, in first stage sealed bids were invited by the bidders
and in the second stage open out cry was allowed among the short listed bidders.

Pakistan telecom sector has emerged as the fastest growing sector across Asia in the recent years.
Realizing the benefits achieved from the telecom deregulation around the world, Pakistan has moved
from the monopolized structure to the deregulated one. Monopoly of PTCL on basic telephony has
been abolished and new operators emerged on the telecom scene of Pakistan where competition has
been introduced. Competition in all segments of the telecom sector brought in lower tariffs and
cheaper hand sets, which saw Pakistani people jumping on to the mobile bandwagon with vengeance.
From a mere 2.3% in 1999-2000, the country?s teledensity currently stands at 16.1 percent with the
gross subscriber base of fixed as well as mobile subscribers touching 25 million. Details of growth in
all segments of the sector are given in ensuing pages.

Teledensity
Teledensity of Pakistan has improved by many folds with the opening up of telecom sector for private
investment in the country. The total teledensity reached 16% in November 2005 which was 12% in
June 2005.

Teledensity of Pakistan

Teledensity Teledensity Teledensity Total

Years Fixed Cellular WLL Teledensity
(%) (%) (%) (%)
2001-
2.50 1.16 3.66
02
2002-
2.69 1.62 4.31
03
2003-
2.94 3.31 6.25
04
2004-
3.43 8.29 0.17 11.89
05
Nov-
3.50 12.34 0.25 16.09
05
The major contributor in terms of teledensity remained cellular segment of the sector whose
teledensity increased by about 49% in the last 6 months.

Cellular Mobile sector

Cellular Mobile segment is the most thriving and growth oriented sector emerged in Pakistan telecom
sector after liberalization. The introduction of two new mobile companies has created a healthy
competition resulting in the reduction in mobile tariffs, increase in coverage and better quality of
service to mobile users across Pakistan. Approximately 1.4 million subscribers are being added on
cellular mobile networks each month in Pakistan which is an exemplary growth in relation to the
population of any country in Asian region. Total mobile subscribers at the end of November 2005
crossed the 19 million mark and showed growth of about 147% in the last one year. Two new mobile
companies grabbed about 16% of the market share in short span of time and both of the companies
are competing aggressively with market leader Mobilink which has over 50% market share.

Cellular Subscribers
(Million)
Year Instaphone Mobilink Paktel Ufone Telenor Warid Total

2000-01 0.22 0.31 0.10 0.12 - - 0.75

2001-02 0.33 0.80 0.22 0.35 - - 1.70

2002-03 0.42 1.12 0.32 0.55 - - 2.41

2003-04 0.54 3.22 0.47 0.80 - - 5.03

2004-05 0.45 7.47 0.9 2.58 0.84 0.51 12.75

November
2005 19

Fixed Line
After a long history of monopoly structure, PTA has awarded 13 LDI licenses to private operators out
of which 10 companies have started operation commercially across Pakistan. With the enhanced
competition in the market, consumers are getting maximum benefits while making international and
NWD calls at much lower price and wide choice. Private companies have also compelled the
incumbent operator to reduce the rates significantly, PTCL has reduced its rates up to 14% for NWD
on its calling cards and almost 40% on international calls for countries like USA and UK.

PTA has also awarded 72 Local Loop licenses for various regions to various companies. So far, only 2
companies have launched their services which are limited to Lahore and Karachi. It is expected by
next year more companies will offer LL services that would enhance competition in this sector as well.

WLL Services in Pakistan

WLL technology is getting popular among countries due to its relatively low deployment and
maintenance costs which make WLL a competitive bypass solution and a viable alternative to wire
line networks. Keeping pace with global trends, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has
decided to promote this industry and so far, PTA has issued 92 WLL licenses to 18 companies all over
the country. These companies won spectrum for WLL in open auction for over Rs. 14 billion. A total of
4 companies have started WLL services in different regions of Pakistan. Total subscribers of WLL in
Pakistan crossed 393,590 in October 2005 which has boosted teledensity in the country.

Telecom role in Economy

Telecom sector is playing a pivotal role in the economy of Pakistan in terms of providing employment,
contribution to national exchequer through taxes and attracting foreign investment in the country. In
the liberalized environment, telecom share in GDP of Pakistan has increased to 1.9% from mere 1.5%
three years back. During Fiscal Year 2004-05, Telecom sector attracted about US $ 207 million FDI
which formed 32% of total FDI in the country. In the first quarter of the fiscal year (July-Sep?05), a
total of US $ 91.4 million FDI came to the telecom sector. During the same period, telecom sector
contributed about Rs. 6.5 billion in the form of taxes to national exchequer (GST and activation tax).
In the year 2004-05, telecom sector deposited over Rs. 28 billion in these taxes to the government of
Pakistan.

Telecom sector of Pakistan is growing at an astounding pace and surpassing all forecasts over the last
few years. It is expected that cellular subscribers would cross 26 million mark in next year and
teledensity would be doubled during the same time. With the increase in telecom services,
consumers would enjoy more telecom facilities with improved quality and lower rates. Moreover,
huge investment in telecom sector has created more avenues for employment resulting in the
prosperity of the country.

Muhammad Arif Sargana ,Director (Economic Affairs), PTA

KARACHI:

The availability of advanced mobile phone internet 3G,4G and LTE has helped the otherwise
struggling telecom companies maintain their revenue and the sector earned Rs452.8 billion in the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2016 (FY16), only 1.4% higher than Rs446.2 billion earned in the
preceding year, said Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) annual report 2016.
PTA said cellular companies earned revenue of Rs98.82 billion from
sale of data on 3G, 4G and LTE networks in the year under review. This
is 27% higher than Rs77.94 billion on sales of the data in the previous
FY15.

The number of internet users on 3G/4G LTE networks doubled to 32.29

million in the year from 16.88 million last year.
However, the revenue earned by the telecom sector as a whole in FY16
remained 2.3% lower than the historic one at Rs463.5 billion earned in
the fiscal year 2013-14.

The decline in revenue in the year under review against the one earned
in FY14 may be linked with suspension of millions of SIMs in the
aftermath of biometric verification.

Experts have been linking the slow recovery in revenues on year-on-

year basis with high rate of tax and levies on use of mobile phone voice
and data services. According to different studies, a mobile phone user
pays on average Rs45 in taxes for every Rs100 spent on mobile phone
voice and data services.

The regulatory authority added that telecom companies have invested

another $719.9 million in fiscal year 2015-16. This was, however, 28%
lower than $1,001 million invested in the previous year. Moreover, the
telecom sector attracted a foreign direct investment (FDIs) of $286
million, which is 14% of the countrys total $2.1 billion FDIs attracted in
the year, PTA said.

PTA Chairman Dr Syed Ismail Shah said in the annual report that the
data centric services spurred new consumer experience and alternative
revenue streams for operators in a short span of time.
The demand for mobile broadband has increased tremendously and
there arose a need to allocate more spectrum for such services, he
said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2016.

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