Best SIM for visitors to Pakistan: Jazz, Zong, Telenor and Ufone compared

For most visitors, the best SIM in Pakistan is Jazz or Zong: in PTA’s network survey of 11 cities from April to June 2026, Jazz met 130 of 132 quality targets and Zong 128, ahead of Ufone (121) and Telenor (112). To buy one as a foreigner, take your original passport with a valid visa to an operator’s franchise or service centre, where your fingerprints are taken; a Jazz SIM starts from Rs 350, as of October 2026.

Which is the best SIM network in Pakistan?

We go by PTA’s own measurements, not by operators’ adverts. Every quarter PTA tests each mobile network against the targets in its Cellular Mobile Network Quality of Service Regulations 2021. The latest results, published on 18 September 2026, cover April to June 2026.

In 11 major cities, PTA’s teams made about 27,300 voice and SMS tests and took about 190,000 mobile internet samples. Each operator was checked against 132 targets across the 11 cities.

Source: PTA Q2 2026 survey, as reported by TechJuice (18 Sep 2026) and Digital Pakistan (20 Sep 2026).

What the results mean for you:

• Jazz ranked first in 10 of the 11 cities, and had no failures on voice calls.
• Zong topped Karachi West, and had the fastest uploads in 7 cities. That matters if you post a lot of photos or video.
• Telenor met the 4G coverage target in only 5 of 11 cities.
• Mobile internet was the weakest area for everyone, with 85% of targets met across all operators, against 92% for voice and 97% for SMS.

We couldn’t open PTA’s website to read the report itself, so these figures come from news coverage of it. PTA said it had started legal action against operators that missed targets, according to APP, the state news agency.

Which SIM works best in Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK?

PTA’s survey also tested six high-altitude sites in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), including Astore, Gorkot and Rattu in GB. There, SCOM ranked first for 4G coverage, download speed, web page loading, latency, voice and SMS, Digital Pakistan reported on 22 September 2026.

The big networks did less well at these sites. In Astore, Jazz took 13.4 seconds to load a web page. Six sites are a small sample, so treat this as a pointer rather than a full map of the north.

Two more things to know before a trip north:

• Some bundles don’t work there. Jazz’s Monthly Freedom bundle, for example, is “not available for customers in AJK/GB”, its terms say. Check that your bundle covers the region before you buy it.
• Services can be cut. As of 13 October 2026, the UK government’s travel advice mentions suspension of mobile and internet services during demonstrations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and internet disruption in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

We couldn’t confirm whether SCOM sells SIMs to foreigners, or what it charges. If you are heading to Hunza or Skardu, see our Hunza or Skardu guide for road and flight conditions.

Can foreigners buy a SIM card in Pakistan?

Yes. The operator checks your identity in person when you buy. Here is what the operators’ own pages say, as of October 2026:

Telenor’s website blocked us, so its row comes from an archived copy of its guidelines from September 2022. The rules may have changed since.

Overseas Pakistanis can buy on their NICOP (National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis) instead of a passport. Jazz asks for your NICOP and a fingerprint check.

We found reports both for and against buying a SIM at Islamabad, Lahore or Karachi airports, and couldn’t confirm either. Plan to buy one at an operator’s outlet in town, and have another way to get online until then.

How much does a SIM and data cost in Pakistan?

The SIM itself is cheap. A new Jazz prepaid SIM starts from Rs 350, its help pages say. Most of what you pay is the bundle, which runs for a set number of days.

Zong’s Internet SIM page says its prices include taxes: 15% advance income tax on every recharge and 19.5% sales tax on usage.

Monthly bundles with about 100 GB, as listed on the operators’ sites on 16 October 2026:

For a short visit, Zong’s weekly 100 GB bundle at Rs 750 is the cheapest of these. Jazz’s Monthly Freedom doesn’t renew by itself: you dial *733# again when it ends.

We couldn’t open Telenor’s or Ufone’s websites. TechJuice’s price table from July 2026 gave these June 2026 prices:

• Telenor Monthly Extreme Ultra Max, 200 GB: Rs 2,000. Monthly Prime, 300 GB: Rs 2,300.
• Ufone Digital Grand Offer, 100 GB: Rs 2,200. Super Card Max, 20 GB: Rs 1,700, up from Rs 1,500 in March 2026.

The same table listed Jazz Monthly Freedom at Rs 3,000 in June 2026, while Jazz’s own page showed Rs 2,608 including tax in October. We follow Jazz’s page. Operators raised some package prices by up to 33%, TechJuice reported in July 2026, so check the price before you load.

Only need data? Zong sells a data-only Internet SIM for phones, tablets and Wi-Fi devices. Its 40 GB monthly bundle costs Rs 940, including 20 GB that works only from 1am to 9am. You subscribe by dialling *6666#.

Want an eSIM? Jazz issues eSIMs at franchise and experience centres, after a fingerprint check. Its pages disagree on the price: one says Rs 5,000 for a new number, another Rs 2,000. Ask at the centre.

To top up and pay for things from your SIM, many people use a mobile wallet. See Easypaisa vs JazzCash for how the two compare.

Will my foreign phone work on a Pakistani SIM?

Yes, for 120 days, if you register it. A foreign phone used with a Pakistani SIM has to be registered in DIRBS, PTA’s device registration system.

PTA’s FAQs on the free temporary registration for overseas Pakistanis and foreign visitors say:

• It lasts 120 days from your arrival date. PTA checks your arrival with FIA, the border agency. If you apply 30 days after arriving, you get the remaining 90 days.
• The SIM must be in your name, issued by a Pakistani operator on your passport, CNIC or NICOP. A foreign SIM can’t be used for this.
• One phone per person. The phone is paired with the SIM you register. Put in a different SIM and the phone gets no service.
• You apply online at dirbs.pta.gov.pk/drs with your passport number, the SIM’s number, the phone’s IMEI (its unique device number), your email, and your arrival and departure dates.

To keep using the phone after 120 days, see our PTA tax guide.

Can I use my UK SIM in Pakistan?

Yes. PTA’s FAQs say a person with an international SIM can use it on Pakistani networks as a roamer, without registering the phone.

That may change. On 12 October 2026 the Pakistan Observer reported that PTA had proposed the International Roaming (Inbound) Regulations, 2026. Under the draft:

• Operators would check the identity of people roaming on foreign SIMs and eSIMs, using passport details, nationality and arrival dates.
• A foreign SIM or eSIM used for 90 days or more within any 180 days could count as permanent roaming, and be blocked if temporary use can’t be confirmed.
• Travel eSIM sellers such as Airalo and Holafly would have to register with PTA.

As of 16 October 2026 these rules are a draft, open for comments until 10 November 2026. A trip shorter than 90 days would stay under that limit.

Is Telenor still a separate network?

Not for long. PTCL completed its Rs 108 billion purchase of Telenor Pakistan, Profit reported on 1 January 2026, and plans to merge it with Ufone, which PTCL already owned. TechJuice said the work of joining Telenor’s network to Ufone’s likely explains Telenor’s weak 2026 survey results.

By customers, Jazz has 38% of the market, the PTCL group 35% and Zong about 26%, Profit reported. Both the Telenor and Ufone brands were still selling packages in mid-2026.

Is there 5G in Pakistan?

Yes, in the biggest cities. In March 2026 the government sold 480 MHz of spectrum for $507 million, Daily Times reported on 20 March. Jazz won 190 MHz, Ufone 180 MHz and Zong 110 MHz.

• Zong said it launched 5G in more than 16 cities, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.
• Jazz started with 180 sites in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad.
• Ufone: the Daily Times report didn’t mention a Ufone launch, and we couldn’t confirm one since.

More guides: Pakistan visa guide, PTA tax on phones, using foreign cards and ATMs in Pakistan, is Pakistan safe to visit, all Visas, Phones & Money guides.