The tele-density in mobile phone sector has crossed the ratio of 72.28 per cent with total number of subscribers in the country touching 129.7 million mark. Moreover, the tele-density in the country including fixed, Wireless Local Loop and mobile phone has reached all-time high level of 75.77 percent.
Latest data of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority revealed that cellular tele-density remained on a sluggish trajectory during this year as millions of illegal SIMs registrations have been cancelled by telecom operators. However, effective marketing campaigns by the operators stimulating subscriptions of cellular mobile phone companies in urban and rural areas of the country attracted 4.59 million new users to join five telecom operators’ subscribers’ base during the four months (June to September) period of 2013. During last two months around 1.18 new subscribers were added in the networks of all operators.
Around ten years before, the tele-density in mobile phone area was mere 3.29 per cent and thanks to pro-active policies of successive governments that helped the sector to achieve a reasonable growth across the country including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Northern Areas.
The data showed that 270,000 new broadband subscribers were added in broadband family of the country during four months (May to August) 2013 period, taking the total broadband subscribers base to 2.88 million by the end of August 2013 as compared to 2.61 million at the end of April 2013. Annual fixed local loop tele-density stood at 1.6 percent and annual wireless local loop tele-density settled at 1.9 percent at the end of September.
Keeping in view of the upcoming next generation technologies auction, industry experts forecast glowing future of telecom sector of the country saying that it might well cross the 90 percent mark by the end of next year as the fastest communication and without distortion voice calls due to 3G technologies will uplift the country’s cellular tele-density.
After the month of May 2013, when PTA last updated the cellular operators statistics, Zong outshined all other operators in the consumer grabbing race with inclusion of 2.07 million new users during the four months (June to September), resultantly, the total subscriber base of Zong reached 22.28 million by the end of September 2013.
Ufone, running vibrant advertising campaigns attracted 930,000 new users during the said period while its total users base stood at 24.81 million by the end of September 2013.
Telenor managed to sell 640,000 new connections during the period under review, consequently its total subscribers’ base reached 32.34 million by the end of September 2013.
Mobilink adding 610,000 new users in four months remained the market leader with 37.37 million users by the end of the said month.