PTCL Broadband
PTCL has started offering DSL broadband services. The details can be found here. Currently they are offering 3 packages, the highest is 1 Mbps with unlimited downloading for Rs. 4999 per moth. Not bad at all, but still a little higher than reach of most people. I talked with PTCL customer rep and she said the speeds mentioned are guaranteed. This is very tempting. Their rates are lower than most other DSL service providers, and the best part is that their billing is integrated with phone bill so you don’t have to pay separately.
Is this the answer to the broadband dream of Pakistan?
Related posts:
Yesterday i sent a mail to PTCL, asking them to introduce 128 k pakage with 1 GB cap, i know its not a good deal but its ideal for email users.
I didnt got any responce till now.
Yup its tempting but i am waiting for WiMax from Wateen telecome.
There are no permanent unlimited accounts, all of them will be volume charged. The 1Mbps account is unlimited account just for first 3 months, after that it’ll be volume restricted at 8GB/month.
And no I don’t think that volume charged internet services will have any permanent future in Pakistan.
You can find more user input on the above mentioned internet services at the following links:
1. http://wccftech.com/forum/ptcl-broadband-pakistan-t14923.html
2. http://wccftech.com/forum/broadband-ptcl-awful-t15284.html
Do read the following link:
3. http://wccftech.com/forum/ptcl-predatory-policy-t15221.html
saad, the unlimited 1MBps account is Unlimited forever. I confirmed it myself. The three month option is available on all packages. I have got subscribed with them(512Kbps/4gB Transfer) and I hope I would have connection at home in 3/4 days.
They also told that they will be coming with more denominations in future which could exceed Imbps limit.
i think its a bit too expensive for residential customers..
@Naeem
Comparitive to Other ISPs, I think its not.
Cybernet is going to ANSWER in coming days by providing more facilities to users.
Adnan - I don’t know about what CSO are telling prospective customers but newspapers ads say that the ‘unlimited’ data package is just for first three months after sign up.
God knows how long it will work without probems … if PTCL can not provide a proper hassle free telecom service … what about rest of their offerings.
I am a user of landline PTCL which is having problems from last 8 months … I switched o V-PTCL for my internet connectivity … it worked great for few weeks but now cawls at snail’s pace.
I wish good luck to all subscribers !
I dont think so it is a good offer. a company like PTCL should have offered free installation (modem). But that is done on a 1 year contract with them. There are few options better than PTCL. If they want to remain in the market they better cut out the modem cost and then see the rush to their network.
PTCL is a total failure when it comes to services. Their VPTCL wireless has flopped badly. They earlier had an ISP also I guess, by the name of PakNet, which has closed down I think. Those subscribing may do so at their own risk, as I can foresee frequent breakdowns, congestions, unanswered complaints and phone calls etc etc.
Finally a great post!
The packages are not what I expected from PTCL. The cap usage is crappy. If I have high speed internet, I would like to download movies and other stuff off the internet, visit YOUTUBE frequently and yes, upload files on the interent without having to worry about the total usage. PTCL has what it takes to introduce DSL packages under 1000. Bring on 512kb unshared DSL connection below 1.5k and then we’ll get impressed.
I for one am going to stick to my MAXCOM connection even though I think I am paying a high price (I have a 128k home connection and it costs 1800/month) and I am going to wait for other better services and offers from other companies. PTCL is a messed up organization with no work ethics or morals. They do not care about their customers and they know jack about customer service. They have screwed themselves way too many times by providing pathetic services and unfulfilled promises and we can’t risk something as important as an internet connection with PTCL strings attached all over!
If there is any MAXCOM employee reading this, dudes, I think it’s time you lower your tarrif :D
http://wccftech.com/forum/broadband-ptcl-awful-t15284.html
Oh btw, CYBER.NET’s DSL also sucks!!! It has a huge link snyc issue and their speeds is not at all impressive!
PTCL can suck my fibre optic cable….
worldcall broadband limited….FTW!!!
@ zeeshan 1800 for maxcom is like suicide if you look at worldcalls my 64 package. although it says 64 kbps, its real speeds are more than what mxcom offers with 128kbps. at nearly one third price, its a much better offer
I hate caps.
Which is the best [and cheapest] internet service provider. Worldcall provides 64 kbs for 650 / month (Rs. 750 installation)
Is it good? What about other ‘unlimited’ packages? Especially the ones under Rs.1000/month
Rukun:Hey there! Thanks for the info man. The problem is that I have used worldcall. I don’t exactly remember what package I had but I think I was paying around 1500 for that and it SUCKED. It was never constant. I could hardly uploading anything using WorldCall so in order to do that, I had to connect via Dialup to upload files on webservers.
Maxcom is slower than most of the local desi cable internet (fariya springs to my mind) but it is reliable and to me consistency in the service means a LOT as my bread and butter depends on it :)
If there is any other service that offers better speed, more reliablity and one that costs low, I would be happy to switch :D
@Adnan: Keep posted on your experiences with PTCL BB. Cybernet sucks - cancelled my home account today.
Kashif zaroor, it has not installed as yet. I wonder whether we would ever experience ADSL in Pakistan. My friend in Belgium told me that he’s going to get ADSL2(> 3Mbps) with no CAPS.
Atleast we can now say that our main telecommunication company has started the DSL service, but the other weird and fact based factor is that……..will PTCL be giving the DSL connections on the same OLD hoooked wires??….when one cannot even hear the other person due to distortion…how can the PTCL people then GUARANTEE the actual speed??….AMAZING..
Atleast we can now say that our main telecommunication company has started the DSL service, but the other weird and fact based factor is that……..will PTCL be giving the DSL connections on the same OLD hoooked wires??….when one cannot even hear the other person due to distortion…how can the PTCL people then GUARANTEE the actual speed??….AMAZING..
Atleast we can now say that our main telecommunication company has started the DSL service, but the other weird and fact based factor is that……..will PTCL be giving the DSL connections on the same OLD hoooked wires??….when one cannot even hear the other person due to distortion…how can the PTCL people then GUARANTEE the actual speed??….AMAZING..
See, that’s what I mean. The majority does not believe in PTCL and/or their services. The worst thing is that all other DSL providers know this so, they won’t really be bothered by what ever PTCL introduces and promise. They won’t cut down their tariff because they know that their customer base is going to hang around only because they lack confidence in PTCL’s services.
Haha.. I would go for maxcom but I hear you get around 11k download speed on a 128K connection, I use fariya cable net, but i think it sucks too.
1) no public IP,
2) its actually a large WAN based on 100 mbps LAN (collision detect) technology and its crowded, try downloading a movie from their VAGS server or try transfering a movie file with a friend, sometimes it gives times in hours
3) you need to setup a domain account with fariya, it works on active directory, means I cant use my own windows account anymore, they make an ID for you and you HAVE to use that. No more multi accounts for home users
4) sharing internet connection when your part of the domain on the laptop was a headache, I got the browser and some other protocols working but I can use a lot of stuff from my laptop
5) most important, fariya HAS unlimited downloads but they have capped the speeds to 20K by using ISA bandwidth splitter (and they charge 1500 a month)
6) now this is real annoying, because of the load shading, the availability is an issue. Since its a large wired LAN some block’s power goes out between me and the server and BAM, no more internet.. you have to wait till it comes back on, these days since the load shading is cycled among the blocks, there is a huge downtime. I have power net doesnt have power, I dont have power, net has power, some block in between has no power when I have power etc.
7) its being run by rookies, who have no idea about performance, network design, architecture and management
Can some one please tell me what does it mean by maximum download of 8G/B per month ?? Like once you download data of 8GB (web pages/streaming/torrents) then you can’t use internet any more for that month. I wonder how much do I use? Is there any tool that I could install on my box to find out that? Thanks in advance.
OWK,it depends on policies which are different for each ISP. Cybernet just starts charging certain amount/MB and drops the connection from xKbps to minimium 64kbps. Other isps just make the account expired.
@ADNAN - Your friend in Belgium is way behind times. I myself have, when I am here, 20Mbps unlimited and could go higher if the wires permitted which unfortunately do not at this time for a simple fee of Euro 30/mnth (Rs. 2400)
Worldcalls MY128 which has been reduced to 1350 instead of 1450 per month, works very well for me. In fact their Internet service has improved considerably from what it was. The drop in rates is a step in the right direction too.
Maxcom has also revised its volume based packages and new packages go head to head with PTCL.
One thing that most people are unaware of PTCL broadband is that if you break contract i.e. you terminate your connection in less than a year then you’ll have to pay 3000 for the modem.
and how will people using PTCL broadband rectify their problems reagrding their billing coz they’ll charge in monthly telephone bills??
MAXCOM should also consider reducing the cost of unlimited packages! They are insanely high!
I have a maxcom connection. I think it’s the best available with zero failure and download speed 28K with 128kbps connection.
However, such speeds are ridiculous if compared internationally. My brother in the US gets 10MB per sec download speed:-)
As for PTCL DSL, I think PTCL is hardly going to pull a rabbit out of the hat here, and will make the less informed suffer yet again.
My brother in the US gets 10MB per sec download speed:-)
we can just dream about it :-)
@Bozz: I didnt say belgium is backward. it was all about requirments.
well !
firstly I dont trust PTCL
secondly !
Right now I am Using Multi NEt dedicated 128 Unlimited package for \1500/ per month which by the looks of it is way better than the packages offered the PTCL !
For residential use 256 is enough I think ! and Multi net is giving more affordable package !
For residential use 256 is enough
Jaad, it depends on usage. for me 256 is equal to nothing. No I am not into mp3 downloading or youtube stuff. I occasionally download SDKs,softwares etc but I definately wish to listen live poadcast which currently I can’t due to slow connection. I know like many others I have misused office’s broadband connection by downloading SDKs/patches of upto 800Mb :d
ok yestereve i talked DSL officer of Nazimabad exchange and got further details.
Regarding crossing the assigned limit, I was told by the officer that an alert message would be send after the 80% usage of the quota and after crossing the limit, 50 paisas/MB would be charged. it’s TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cheap than other services who charge Rs 15/MB. PTCL is really gonna screwup other ISPs as the officer told that PTCL is fully determined to take advantage of monopoly.
So how much is the usage for one common internet user in Khi ?? 1 GB monthly means 30 MB every day so 8 GB would make 250 MB for a day. 50 paisas for a MB is too much. I installed a http://www.pmasoft.net/englisch/tor/Internet%20Speed%20Detector.html
3 hours ago and just browing has put me 30 MB in last one hour. It would be intresting to note my usage at end of month :-)
Lucky People living in Metropolis… Like other inequalities of life… broadband is for the selected few living in Posh areas.
these days I am on visit to my home town Lodhran. the internet is still in dark ages.. 34Kbps is all one get through a dialup connection. that too is around 10 - 15 Rs for a decent ISP.
While PTCL Wireless is an option but that too is quite expensive and speed ocilates between a good dialup and bad DSL.
Some thing really should be done to make tru broadband available through out the country.
Ptcl staff do not know what is the mean of online support and online order… if u asked them what about my online DSL order…they said u to plz come to our nearest customer center.. n who knows wat services they have for you….deadly people…PTCL.. Atif Zain
Hi Guys,
I am Adnan from Karachi.
It is my first visit here, I am glad to know there are some awesome blogs writing about Karachi! Nice start for the future of Karachi as these days developments are only happening in Punjab. :)
I am really interested in knowing about which is the real best DSL service provider in Karachi. So far, it seems like Worldcall and Maxcom are doing well.
I am using LAN (Local Area Network). I am paying the cheapest rate ;) Rs 400/- per month. Its much better than dailup.
I can do almost everything with this speed. But when it comes to hearing podcasts and watching youtube videos, it really sucks.
It gives good speed here at night, I think he removes capping at night sometimes and sometimes not.
The regular download speed varies from usually 6-10Kb/s. At night it goes up to 25kb/s and even 30-40kb occasionally (after 4:00 am), if there is no capping.
I’ve also asked about their DSL speed and rates, It seems like Pakistani DSL services are one of the worst in Asia!
Still, I am looking forward to hear back from you people and I hope I’ll change to some great DSL service in near future ……. as it is becoming a necessity for me.
Thanks! :)
Hello i got dsl but i was not at home the moment the ptcl installers came. they said network card is not working while it was working. connection shows in notification area but with limited or no connectivity (network address not assigned to computer) wot is it? can u pple help me out?
hey, after reading all ur comments i felt compelled to write one!
I’ve been using dsl since the begining of iit, by cybernet 128k unlimited for Rs.2270/- per month. it worked perfect since multi jumped into consumer market by 256k unlimited for rs.2000/- so obviously i switched knowing that multi has good repo is market. it worked okay not as good as cyber which gave 16k downloading ideal for 128k and multi gave arround 27-28k compared to iideal 32k, ways now ptcl is there! like everyone i dont really trust ptcl with something so important as my connection to the world, but still went for it, ordered 512kb ptcl, installed pretty quickly at my home and worked at 256k speed for two days, when inquired from the support they said your on test server for 2 days then you will be automatically shifted to 512kb, after 2 days connection works faster in the start like 64k downloading but then drops to 28-26k downloading wether on single session or multiple, complained about it and to my surprise they called the very next day asking about the problem and promissed to solve it in a day or max two. which seems ok. but the biggest drawback ptcl has is the support, the representative know nothing about networking! they cant check any status of account., they dont know the record of session or sync or anything, all they do is launch complain. while other isp’s have proper system to check the status.
im really looking upto ptcl to solve the problem and continue using ptcl.
will keep you guys posted!! nice blog, keep posting.
hey, after reading all ur comments i felt compelled to write one!
I’ve been using dsl since the begining of iit, by cybernet 128k unlimited for Rs.2270/- per month. it worked perfect since multi jumped into consumer market by 256k unlimited for rs.2000/- so obviously i switched knowing that multi has good repo is market. it worked okay not as good as cyber which gave 16k downloading ideal for 128k and multi gave arround 27-28k compared to iideal 32k, ways now ptcl is there! like everyone i dont really trust ptcl with something so important as my connection to the world, but still went for it, ordered 512kb ptcl, installed pretty quickly at my home and worked at 256k speed for two days, when inquired from the support they said your on test server for 2 days then you will be automatically shifted to 512kb, after 2 days connection works faster in the start like 64k downloading but then drops to 28-26k downloading wether on single session or multiple, complained about it and to my surprise they called the very next day asking about the l.problem and promissed to solve it in a day or max two. which seems ok. but the biggest drawback ptcl has is the support, the representative know nothing about networking! they cant check any status of account., they dont know the record of session or sync or anything, all they do is launch complain. while other isp’s have proper system to check the status.
im really looking upto ptcl to solve the problem and continue using ptcl.
will keep you guys posted!! nice blog, keep posting.
I am Azan from Lahore, I work in American Call Center as Loan Officer. I applied for 1MB PTCL BROADBAND and I got it after 10 days trust me they dont even listen to your problem and they lied to me they said VOIP ports are open you can have business on VOIP but unfortunately I am facing lots of problem my voip is not connecting through PTCL BROADBAND when I called for the help they simply deny they says “Who told you that we offer VOIP? we have blocked all the ports for VOIP” believe me I am losing $200 per day due to this rubbish PTCL BROADBAND. Can you imagine I am getting 70kbps download speed on 1MB DSL connection though I was getting 128 to 135Kbps download speed on previous DSL connection. I disconnected that just because of getting ptcl broadband. They even dont contact you if you make complain for slow speed.
I am Azan from Lahore, I work in American Call Center as Loan Officer. I applied for 1MB PTCL BROADBAND and I got it after 10 days trust me they dont even listen to your problem and they lied to me they said VOIP ports are open you can have business on VOIP but unfortunately I am facing lots of problem my voip is not connecting through PTCL BROADBAND when I called for the help they simply deny they says “Who told you that we offer VOIP? we have blocked all the ports for VOIP” believe me I am losing $200 per day due to this rubbish PTCL BROADBAND. Can you imagine I am getting 70kbps download speed on 1MB DSL connection though I was getting 128 to 135Kbps download speed on previous DSL connection. I disconnected that just because of getting ptcl broadband. They even dont contact you if you make complain for slow speed.
Hey Azan, though we have pretty similar names ! lol
anyways have you tried using IAX protocol for your voice calls ? if you can then do it and let us know about the results, as cyber and multi have not blocked that port. Although SIP ports are block throughout Pakistan, you should have known that before getting any consumer dsl in pakistan.
Latest update: PTCL people repeatedly contacted me today for the resolution of problem of sync/unsync after which I will try to get the bandwidth fixed. Just a reminder for the new guys before ordering the service do remember that you are getting into a contract with PTCL for a year of DSL service on the same line. so be careful before you sign up.
Tomorrow I will try to get the line fixed myself from the local line man. Just hoping that it will resolve the problem.
My Horrible unfinished experience with PTCL Broadband.
I applied for a 256kbps DSL on 1st June 07. On 13th June I was happy to see a PTCL technician at my home. He installed the DSL modem and went away saying that my job has been done but you will not be able to connect to the internet as the PTCL wire that comes to my house is faulty and it is not my job to fix it.
He also told me to contact PTCL officials to change or repair the wire.
And now the hard work begins !!
I kept on calling the PTCL officials and the DSL team to clear this fault but NOBODY seemed to listen to my complaints.
The DSL operators are quite professionals and they would listen to me and to my complaints but the result till 28th June was zero.
So I called my brothers old friend who is now a GM in PTCL and told him the whole story.
Now because he is a GM and his juniors are bound to listen to him, on 29th June three line-men came to my house and started working to remove the fault. They spent the whole day running from exchange to cabinet and to my house (which they would never do if not instructed by the General Manager).
WELL finally in the evening they were able to fix almost all the problems and told me that now I can use the internet.
So on 29th june evening I was able to connect to the internet for the first time through PTCL broadband. BUT I was shocked and surprised to see the speed of the so called BroadBand. Even my dial up connection would give a better speed then this.
With a 256kbps connection speed, my download speed was about 7.0KB/sec.
I called on almost all the phone numbers that I had collected since 13th June related to DSL. But again I received same typical answer that ‘we will look into the matter’.
Today its 3rd July and I am still using my old dialup connection as I get better speed on it as compared to 256kbps broadband PTCL connection.
Dont know what happens next.
So far my repeated telephone calls to them has resulted in nothing.
May be im the luckiest guy then !! they day dsl was installed, without even my complain, the line man came to change the wire !! but as I already have the lined changed before for cyber and multi using the same line man. so had to ask him to go.
Its surprising that ptcl is not doing the same to anyone else in the country.
Dear sir i want to get dsl onr mbps speed connection.But i dont know that how to apply it. pls help me in this metter of tension for me.Thanks
Dear Muhammad Ali . Use this link to register you online connection http://http://bncc.ptcl.net.pk/WssWeb/cs/oa/wstep01.jsp
Or Call 0800-77888 and 1236. any problem then ask here
Regard
Syed Sibtain ALi Zaidi
Now am freak of PTCL its dam cool i have 512kbps wid 4mb package and its damn coll i always get 400 or sometimes 420 my average i mean speed i always get day to night is 400 kb per second its damn cool u guys shud i have it low price and new wires
PTCL department sucks trust me I am still complaining them for speed but nobody is listening me I got dsl connection on 20th June and today is 10th July I odered 1MB connection and I am getting bloody 40k speed.I went to their office 4-5 times but they didn’t solve my problem I was quite happy with Multinet DSL I was so stupid that I terminated their services. Guys trust me PTCL sucks big time sucks staff is too bad no customer support no help you just keep on calling them wasting your precious time and money.
Guys…ptcl rocks man…and worldcall sucks…coz i am using a worldcall BIZ 64 kbps shared with 5 ppl…now that sucks and paying 1200 a month…if i want to download a song from the net…it takes atlease 6-10 minutes to download a 4 mb file..now thats bloody pathetic…on the other hand…i just got PTCL broadband yesterday…and my God, i downloaded 100 mb files in 20 minutes….i got a 512kbps connection which downloads at 50-60 kb. Cybernet sucks too coz they were asking me to pay 2000 a month for 256 kbps while i can get a 512 from ptcl for the same price…think smart ppl…save money and get more bandwidth…coz ptcl is kicking ass of every ripping off, customer exploiting company including WORLDCALL…just keep in mind what happened to mobilink…they used to sell their sim’s at 6000 a piece…when more companies came, now they sell at 300 or even lesser…just think for yourself
oh and i forgot to mention that whatever these ppl are saying that u are in a 1 year contract with ptcl so watch out is all a bunch of crap…i don’t know why ppl say such things when they are not aware of them…anyways the 1 year thing is that “if u disconnect from ptcl before 12 months, either u pay Rs.3000 for the dsl modem or give it back to ptcl and get on with life…and the other thing about 1MB is that its UNLIMITED for as long as u have it…there is no 3 months limit.