Pak Telecommunication Mobile Limited or Ufone ( ur, ) is a Pakistani
GSM
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such ...
cellular
Cellular may refer to:
*Cellular automaton, a model in discrete mathematics
* Cell biology, the evaluation of cells work and more
* ''Cellular'' (film), a 2004 movie
*Cellular frequencies, assigned to networks operating in cellular RF bands
*Cell ...
service provider. It is the third
mobile operator
A mobile network operator (MNO), also known as a wireless service provider, wireless carrier, cellular company, or mobile network carrier, is a provider of wireless communications services that owns or controls all the elements necessary to sell ...
to enter Pakistani market. It started its operations under the brand Ufone, in
Islamabad
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
on January 29, 2001.
PTML is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd., commonly known as PTCL ( ur, ) is the national telecommunication company in Pakistan.[Etisalat
Etisalat by e& is an Emirati-based multinational telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 16 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It is the 18th largest mobile network operator in the world by number of subscri ...](_blank)
in 2006.
Ufone is the smallest mobile service provider in Pakistan with a subscriber base of 23 million. It has a market share of 12%, the least among all four mobile operators.
Ufone had appointed Rashid Khan as its CEO who had been the CEO of
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
from 2008 to 2014. He was appointed as acting CEO again in August 2017. Rashid Khan died on 17 December 2020.
History
The company commenced its operations, under the brand name of Ufone, from Islamabad on January 29, 2001. Gen.
Pervez Musharraf
General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...
, President of Pakistan had inaugurated the service on that day.
Ufone became a part of the Emirates Telecommunication Corporation Group (
Etisalat
Etisalat by e& is an Emirati-based multinational telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 16 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It is the 18th largest mobile network operator in the world by number of subscri ...
) in 2006.
Radio Frequency Summary
Ufone had bid on a 5 MHz block of 2100 MHz spectrum in the NGMS auction held in early 2014, however due to rising demand and lack of bandwidth to keep up, in December 2016, Ufone decided to re-farm a portion of its 900 MHz 2G network to 3G (HSPA+), and is now offering 3G over two frequencies to deal with the increasing load on the network. Ufone has only re-farmed their 900 MHz spectrum in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Abbottabad, Sheikhupura and Sialkot.
PTML Ufone won 2x9 MHz of 1800 MHz in the 2021 NGMS auction held by
PTA, bringing its total spectrum in the band up to 15 MHz which will be used for improvement of its existing 4G services.
4G launch
On 9 February 2019, Ufone launched its
4G network in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It has done so using existing NGMS licenses. Ufone has now expanded its 4G coverage to Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Peshawar, Quetta, Attock, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Digri, Jhuddo, Naukot, Mithi, Pabbi, Multan and Nowshehra with planning to launch 4G in more cities soon.
Awards
Ufone has won Best Telecommunication Service Provider Award at 2012 PAS Awards by Pakistan Advertisers Society.
See also
*
Communications in Pakistan Telecommunications in Pakistan describes the overall environment for the mobile telecommunications, telephone, and Internet markets in Pakistan.
Regulatory environment
The Telecommunications Ordinance of 1994 created the Pakistan Telecommunication ...
*
Uth Records
''Uth Records'' (or ''Ufone Uth Records'') is a 2011 Pakistani music television reality show presented by the Ufone. ''Louis ‘Gumby’ Pinto'' is the producer of the show, he left Coke Studio when he offered for this show. ''Omran ‘Momo’ S ...
*
List of mobile phone companies in Pakistan
*
UPaisa
References
{{Mobile network operators of Pakistan
Mobile phone companies of Pakistan
Companies based in Islamabad
Telecommunications companies established in 2001
2001 establishments in Pakistan
Pakistani brands
PTCL
Internet service providers of Pakistan