In recent news, the focal people from the telecom industry have reported that national roaming services will be coming soon. Through national roaming, users of one network (for example Telenor) will be able to avail the cellular services of another network (such as Jazz or Ufone). In a nutshell, you’ll be able to use services of another network where your network might not be available.
This is to ensure that connectivity is hassle-free and more useful for Pakistani smartphone users who often face connectivity issues when traveling.
According to a regulator, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority is taking the lead on this initiative where major industry players have agreed on the respective terms and conditions. Once national roaming comes around, it will be a massive development for Pakistan in the telecom sector as currently consumers are forced to change their SIMs when moving to certain areas or cities.
This is SIM changing issue is also a major hassle when the consumer has a single SIM phone and has to change between networks. However, all these hassles will go away as users can remain connected anywhere in Pakistan regardless of what SIM their phones carry.
At the moment, only Ufone and SCO have made a Bilateral Roaming Service Agreement that offers roaming voice & SMS services in the AJ&K and GB to Ufone subscribers.
The pilot launch of the national roaming services might occur in Balochistan where connectivity issues are prominent. This would then further move on to the remote and underserved areas of the country.
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