Pakistan’s mobile subscriber base falls for third straight month to 196 million

Pakistan’s total cellular subscriber base continued to shrink for the third consecutive month, falling from 196.86 million in August to 196.19 million by the end of September, according to new data released by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The report shows a steady decline since June, when total mobile subscriptions stood at 197.80 million—a drop of more than 1.6 million over three months—signaling reduced activity in the country’s mobile SIM market.

In contrast, broadband subscriptions continued to rise. The number of 3G and 4G users grew slightly from 147.71 million in August to 148.06 million in September, marking a net addition of about 346,000 users.

The increase nudged the Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) penetration rate up from 59.56% to 59.6%, reflecting steady demand for mobile internet despite the overall subscriber decline.

Teledensity, which measures the number of mobile connections per 100 inhabitants, remained largely unchanged at 80.04%, the PTA said.

Among individual operators, Jazz reported no 3G users and a minor drop in 4G customers, from 55.09 million to 55.08 million. Zong saw a small gain in 4G subscribers, rising from 41.06 million to 41.15 million, though its 3G base slipped slightly.

Telenor Pakistan’s 3G customers declined from 1.05 million to 1.01 million, while its 4G users rose to 27.06 million. Ufone’s 3G subscribers fell from 1.62 million to 1.45 million, but its 4G base expanded from 18.36 million to 18.74 million.

Despite ongoing 4G adoption, analysts say the continued decline in overall cellular subscriptions points to market saturation and lower SIM activity.

Industry experts predict the trend may persist until the rollout of new technologies, such as 5G, or broader digital ecosystem improvements reignite user growth.