Pakistan 3G Uptake Doubles to 2.22 Million New Subscribers in September

[RiazHaq]

Haq's Musings: Pakistan 3G Uptake Doubles: 2.22 million Subscribe in September 2015

Monthly new subscriptions of 3G and 4G in Pakistan doubled to 2.22 million in September 2015, up from 1.1 million new subscribers in August 2015. This brings the total number of mobile broadband subscribers to 18.04 million and total of all broadband subscriptions to 21.2 million since 3G-4G launch in May 2014, according to the latest data released by Pakistan Telecommunications Authority.

Mobile Broadband Subscriptions in Pakistan Source: PTA


Increasing use of the Internet is now being put to good use to deal with the tragic aftermath of the the earthquake in Pakistan. Facebook and Google have set up special pages to help people find each other.

Demand for smartphones is also accelerating in Pakistan along with the rise in mobile broadband subscriptions. Forecasters estimate the number of smartphone sales to increase to 40 million by next year.

Overall, 3G and 4G subscriptions in Pakistan jumped 14.43 % during September 2015, the highest sequential monthly increase in the past six months. Among the carriers, Mobilink topped with 878,107 new mobile broadband customers, followed by Ufone with 637,131 new 3G users during September 2015. Telenor is number 3 with 393,969 new 3G users during the month.

Coming on the heels of data indicating 72% jump in car sales and 17% rise in cementconsumption, this data on 2.22 million new mobile broadband subscriptions in September is yet another confirmation of Pakistan's ongoing economic recovery.

Related Links:

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Pakistan Car Sales Jump 72%; Cement Consumption Up 17%

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Pakistan Government Deploys Mobile Apps

E-Commerce Taking Off in Pakistan

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Haq's Musings: Pakistan 3G Uptake Doubles: 2.22 million Subscribe in September 2015

 

[VCheng]

This actually is good news.

 

[Hyperion]

Strange for Zong not to be on top of the list. Best service / speed / availability / price....... and I know exactly what I'm talking about.

 

[junadqs]

 

[RiazHaq]

Pakistan’s top four operators added 4.5 million 3G and 4G subscribers in Q3, a 33 per cent increase from the previous quarter.

The country now has 18 million 3G and 4G users after adding 2.24 million in September – its fastest growth in six months, according to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The growth comes despite the government doubling the sales tax on various categories of imported mobile handsets in June to PKR300-1,000 ($3-$10) from PKR150-500 ($1.50-$5.00). It also introduced a 19.5 per cent sales tax on internet usage earlier in the year.

Market leader Mobilink added 1.25 million 3G users in Q3, while number 2 Telenor picked up 1.32 million. Zong, owned by China Mobile, saw its 3G and 4G connections expand by 968,000, and Ufone (run by state-owned PTCL) added 948,000 3G users, PTA reported.

Competition has intensified in the 3G market over the past year, with Telenor taking a 31 per cent share in Q3, followed by Mobilink with a 28 per cent share, Zong (19 per cent) and Ufone (18 per cent), ProPakistani said. A year ago Telenor had just a 13.5 per cent share of the 3G market.

The four operators had a 90 per cent market share at the end of September, according to GSMA Intelligence. 3G and 4G connections represent 13 per cent of the country’s 138 million mobile connections

Zong launched 4G service less than a year ago and had 194,000 connections in Q3, while Warid Telecom, with an 8.5 per cent market share, had 160,000 4G users.

http://www.mobileworldlive.com/asia/asia-news/pakistans-3g4g-users-jump-33-in-q3/

 

[Daghalodi]

What happened to warid 4glte?...its nowhere to be seen

 

[Evil Flare]

only Mobilink has best coverage of 3G ..

Telenor and Ufone sucks ..

Zong is OK ..

Warid LTE is in other league all together ... i once got 32 mbps

 

[farhan_9909]

Mobilink speed,average and is also cheap

 

[RiazHaq]

#Uber planning #Pakistan launch. Placing ads for gen manager, ops manager, employees in #Lahore Uber primed to launch operations in Pakistan …

Today, Uber’s career page points to a few interesting vacancies, which would suggest they’re set to enter Pakistan. The online taxi behemoth is looking for a “general manager”, “operations and logistics manager”, and a “marketing manager,” for Lahore, the country’s second-largest city. When, or if, it will arrive is still not 100 percent clear, but this is a promising sign.

I’ve argued before about how Pakistan’s growth trajectory seems to suggest it’s a market ripe for disruption in the online taxi hailing space. Macroeconomic conditions aren’t very different to those of India, where Uber recently announced plans to invest US$1 billion in an effort to wrest control. And this is a market generally exploding all over Asia, with three unicorns in China alone.

Pakistan, with an estimated population of 200 million, is a market largely untapped when it comes to taxi apps. There have been efforts in the past, with Rocket Internet-backed EasyTaxi as well as homegrown startups such as Savaaree, but they’ve largely failed to make enough of a dent. However, with explosive growth of high-speed internet and Uber’s demonstrated willingness to tweak its model for accepting cash payments, there seems to be no reason why a concerted effort won’t work in Pakistan.