3G, 4G users in Pakistan increase to 126.61 million

ISLAMABAD: In August 2023, Pakistan experienced notable shifts in its mobile network landscape, as revealed by the latest data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The country saw an increase of 0.85 million users in the 3G and 4G categories, bringing the total from 125.76 million at the end of July to 126.61 million by the close of August.

During this period, the monthly Next Generation Mobile Service (NGMS) penetration also saw a rise, climbing from 52.83 per cent in July to 53.1 per cent in August.

However, the overall number of cellular subscribers in Pakistan slightly declined, dropping from 190.55 million in July to 190.44 million in August 2023.

Consequently, cellular teledensity decreased from 80.04 per cent to 79.87 per cent, and the total teledensity dropped from 81.12 per cent to 80.95 per cent between the end of July and August.

Examining specific network providers, Jazz observed a decline in its 3G user base, which went from 4.300 million in July to 4.148 million in August, marking a decrease of 0.152 million users. Conversely, Jazz’s 4G users increased from 42.769 million in July to 43.010 million in August.

Zong, another prominent provider, experienced a decrease in its 3G subscribers, dropping from 2.479 million in July to 2.425 million in August. However, their 4G user base saw growth, rising from 32.927 million to 33.269 million during the same period.

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Telenor faced a similar trend, with a decrease in 3G users from 2.761 million in July to 2.720 million in August. Conversely, their 4G user numbers increased from 23.150 million in July to 23.260 million in August.

Ufone’s 3G user count stood at 2.676 million by the end of August, a slight decrease from 2.691 million in July. In contrast, Ufone experienced growth in its 4G user base, which increased from 13.206 million in July to 13.616 million in August, indicating a rise of 0.41 million users during this period. These fluctuations highlight the dynamic nature of Pakistan’s mobile network usage as of August 2023.