The mobile phone network operator industry in Pakistan is a growing industry. According to figures from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), there were 152 million mobile 'phone subscribers' in Pakistan in March 2019. [1] [2] [3] [4]
The mobile industry in Pakistan has traditionally been marked by intense competition. However, as they step into the year 2023, there has been an unforeseen decline in the importation of mobile phones. This unexpected downturn in the mobile import market has triggered a sudden surge in mobile prices across Pakistan. Several factors contribute to this phenomenon, including the devaluation of the Pakistani rupee and an associated increase in taxes, which stands out as a prominent catalyst. Additionally, the current state of Pakistan's democracy, a lack of domestic production capacity, and the high costs associated with imports are further exacerbating this situation. Furthermore, rising inflation and the depreciation of the Pakistani currency have compelled major smartphone brands to raise their mobile device prices. [5]
PTA figures for 2007, for comparison, reported 48.5 million subscribers, [6] rising to 102 million (over 60% of the population) by December 2010. [7]
In 2007, the largest cellular mobile telephone service providing company in Pakistan was Mobilink, and other companies included Wateen (a member of Dhabi Group). [6]
In 2010, there were five mobile cellular phone service operator companies in Pakistan. [7]
Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) was an analog mobile phone system standard originally developed by Bell Labs and later modified in a cooperative effort between Bell Labs and Motorola. It was officially introduced in the Americas on October 13, 1983, and was deployed in many other countries too, including Israel in 1986, Australia in 1987, Singapore in 1988, and Pakistan in 1990. It was the primary analog mobile phone system in North America through the 1980s and into the 2000s. As of February 18, 2008, carriers in the United States were no longer required to support AMPS and companies such as AT&T and Verizon Communications have discontinued this service permanently. AMPS was discontinued in Australia in September 2000, in India by October 2004, in Israel by January 2010, and Brazil by 2010.
The economy of Pakistan is categorized as a developing economy. It ranks as the 24th-largest based on GDP using purchasing power parity (PPP) and the 46th largest in terms of nominal GDP. With a population of 241.5 million people as of 2023, Pakistan's position at per capita income ranks 161st by GDP (nominal) and 138th by GDP (PPP) according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Telecommunications in Pakistan describes the overall environment for the mobile telecommunications, telephone, and Internet markets in Pakistan.
Telecommunications in the Philippines are well-developed due to the presence of modern infrastructure facilities. The industry was deregulated in 1995 when President Fidel Ramos signed Republic Act No. 7925. This law opened the sector to more private players and improved the provision of telecom services are better and fairer rates, leading to the creation of many telecommunication service providers for mobile, fixed-line, Internet and other services.
Local number portability (LNP) for fixed lines, and full mobile number portability (FMNP) for mobile phone lines, refers to the ability of a "customer of record" of an existing fixed-line or mobile telephone number assigned by a local exchange carrier (LEC) to reassign the number to another carrier, move it to another location, or change the type of service. In most cases, there are limitations to transferability with regards to geography, service area coverage, and technology. Location Portability and Service Portability are not consistently defined or deployed in the telecommunication industry.
Pak Telecommunication Mobile Limited, doing business as Ufone, is a Pakistani wireless network operator headquartered in Islamabad. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited. Following PTCL's privatization, Ufone became a part of Etisalat by e& in 2006.
Paktel was a cellular network operator in Pakistan. It was a granted license to carry out cellular phone services in Pakistan and set up by Cable & Wireless. It carried out AMPS services until 2004 when the company switched to GSM technology.
A mobile phone operator, wireless provider, or carrier is a mobile telecommunications company that provides wireless Internet GSM services for mobile device users. The operator gives a SIM card to the customer who inserts it into the mobile device to gain access to the service.
Instaphone was Pakistan's first mobile communication service. It was launched by M/s Pakcom Ltd., a telecommunications company and the industry pioneer in the country. The company was jointly owned by M/s Arfeen and Millicom International (Luxembourg) and was acquired later by the Arfeen Group.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) (Urdu: مقتدرہِ ٹیلی مواصلات پاکستان) is the telecommunication regulator of Pakistan, responsible for the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication systems and the provision of telecommunication services in Pakistan. Headquartered in Islamabad, PTA also has regional offices located in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Muzaffarabad, Rawalpindi, Multan and Gilgit.
Telenor Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited is a Pakistani wireless network operator headquartered in Islamabad, Pakistan. Khurrum Ashfaque is the current chief executive officer (CEO).
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd., commonly known as PTCL, is the national telecommunication company in Pakistan. PTCL provides telephone and internet services nationwide and is the backbone for the country's telecommunication infrastructure. The corporation manages and operates around 2000 telephone exchanges across the country, providing the largest fixed-line network. Data and backbone services such as GSM, HSPA+, CDMA, LTE, broadband internet, IPTV, and wholesale are an increasing part of its business.
Warid was a GSM, HSPA+ and LTE based mobile operator in Pakistan. It commenced commercial operations on May 23, 2005 by the Abu Dhabi Group.
The Internet in Pakistan has been available since the early 1990s. Pakistan has over 140 million internet users, making it the 7th-largest population of internet users in the world.
Telecommunications in Taiwan comprise the following communication media, deployed in the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China and regulated by the National Communications Commission of the Executive Yuan.
The Japanese mobile phone industry is one of the most advanced in the world. As of March, 2022 there were 199.99 million mobile contracts in Japan according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. This is 158 percent of Japan's total population.
CMPak Limited, doing business as Zong, is a Pakistani mobile data network operator, owned by China Mobile.
Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (PMCL), doing business as Jazz, is a Pakistani wireless network operator headquartered in Islamabad.