According to Science Fiction Author William Gibson, “The future is already here, it is just not evenly distributed.” Pakistan IT industry is not as much greater as compared to the rest but when we see the annual growth then surely it is moving at high speed. Although, PTCL is one of the largest shareholders of the internet service providers in the country, but many others are doing well.
When we make the list of internet service providers in Pakistan, we do not find a large number of providers. Those who are providing internet services are restricted to metropolitans and some developed cities. The main reasons behind this are a lack of infrastructure in remote areas.
Internet Facts about Pakistan
| Internet users (estimated): | 35 million |
| Mobile Internet users (EDGE/GPRS): | 15 million |
| Broadband Internet Connections: | 1.7 million (DSL, Wimax, HFC & Evo) |
| Cost of 2 Mbits IP Backbone connection: | US$ 400 per month |
| Internet bandwidth to Pakistan: | ~400 Gbps combined from PTCL and TWA |
| Operational ISPs: | 50 (approx) |
| ISPs providing DSL services: | 10 |
| HFC Operators providing broadband Internet over cable: | 5 |
| Undersea cables connecting Pakistan to rest of world: | Three with PTCL (www.ptcl.com.pk), SMW3, SMW4 & IMEWE One with TWA (www.tw1.com) |
| Domestic Fiber backbones: | PTCL (www.ptcl.com.pk) Wateen (www.wateen.com) Mobilink (www.mobilinkgsm.com) Multinet (www.multinet.com.pk) |
| Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Provider: | Nayatel (www.nayatel.com) |
| Domains Registered under .pk domain: | ~ 30,000 |
Here is the detailed list of ISPs in Pakistan
Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL):
Services: DSL, EVO, Broadband
Coverage: Almost overall Pakistan
Wateen
Services: Broadband, DSL
Coverage: Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, D.I. Khan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Jhelum, Karachi, Lahore, Mandi Bahauddin, Multan, Okara, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, R.Y. Khan, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Sukkur.
World Call
Services: WorldCall Cable Broadband, WorldCall Wireless Broadband
Coverage: Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Karachi, Kasur, Kharian, Lahore, Multan, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Sukkur.
Wi-Tribe
Services: Wireless Broadband
Coverage: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad.
Qubee
Services: DSL, Broadband Internet
Coverage: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi.
COMSATS Internet Services
Services: Broadband DSL
Coverage: Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Hattar, Peshawar, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot.
NayaTel Pakistan
Services: Wireless Broadband
Coverage: Islamabad, Rawalpindi.
Brain NET
Services: Wireless Broadband
Coverage: Lahore.
CyberNet
Services: Wireless Broadband
Coverage: Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.
