Pakistan - Key Statistics, Telecom Market and Regulatory Overviews, and Fixed Network Operators

Synopsis

Pakistan’s telecom market had been struggling for a long time with the transition from a regulated state-owned monopoly to a deregulated competitive structure. The government set out plans to increase fixed-line teledensity from 2.5% at the end of 2002 to 7% (around 10 million fixed lines) by 2010. This target eventually became impossible to achieve (with almost 4% penetration having been reached by 2010). However, in the meantime, the whole telecom landscape in Pakistan had changed with the phenomenal expansion of the country’s mobile market. Over the same period – 2002 to 2010 – the number of mobile subscribers jumped from less than two million to 100 million. Despite a tightening of the national economy during 2009 the mobile market continued to expand at an annual rate of between 5% and 10%. Internet penetration remained low, however; while broadband growth had also been negligible, 2008/09 saw an upsurge in broadband subscriptions; importantly, this looked to be continuing in 2010, boosted by the spread of competition throughout the market and the increased adoption of wireless broadband solutions. This report offers a set of statistics on the Pakistan telecoms market, as well as information on the regulatory regime.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Key statistics
• 3. Telecommunications market
  • 3.1 Overview of Pakistan’s telecom market
    • 3.1.1 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
    • 3.1.2 Floods in Pakistan - July/August 2010
• 4. Regulatory environment
  • 4.1 Overview
  • 4.2 Background to development
  • 4.3 Regulatory authorities
    • 4.3.1 Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT)
    • 4.3.2 Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)
  • 4.4 Telecom sector liberalisation
  • 4.5 Regulatory developments
    • 4.5.1 Management of subscriber base
    • 4.5.2 Special regions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K)
    • 4.5.3 Third Generation (3G) licensing
    • 4.5.4 National numbering scheme
    • 4.5.5 Number portability (NP)
    • 4.5.6 Universal Service Obligation (USO)
    • 4.5.7 Infrastructure sharing
    • 4.5.8 ‘Grey market’ traffic
    • 4.5.9 Security
    • 4.5.10 Censorship
• 5. Fixed network operators
  • 5.1 Overview
  • 5.2 Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL)
    • 5.2.1 Privatisation of PTCL
  • 5.3 Other fixed network operators
    • 5.3.1 Worldcall group
    • 5.3.2 TeleCard
• 6. Related reports

• Table 1 – Country statistics – 2011
• Table 2 – Telecom revenue and investment statistics – 2010
• Table 3 – Telephone network statistics – April 2011
• Table 4 – Internet user statistics – 2010
• Table 5 – Mobile statistics – April 2011
• Table 6 – National telecommunications authorities
• Table 7 – Pakistan’s GDP real growth rate – 2006 - 2011
• Table 8 – Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in telecom sector – 2001 - 2010
• Table 9 – ‘Fixed-line’ licences issued by PTA – 2010
• Table 10 – Fixed-line subscribers by operator – June 2011
• Table 11 – PTCL fixed-line subscribers – 2000 - 2009
• Table 12 – Worldcall’s WLL (fixed) subscribers – 2005 - 2009
• Table 13 – TeleCard’s WLL (fixed) subscribers – 2005 - 2009

• Exhibit 1 – Long Distance International (LDI) licensees – 2010
• Exhibit 2 – Local Loop (LL) licensees – 2010
• Exhibit 3 – Wireless Local Loop (WLL) licensees - 2010
• Exhibit 4 – PTCL subsidiary companies
• Exhibit 5 – Joint ventures and affiliated companies