Our subsidiary, Ufone has undertaken multiple initiatives to facilitate customers as well as other
stakeholders to provide relief in these unprecedented times. It has developed customized products, offers
and subsidized bundles to facilitate uninterrupted peer-to-peer communication. During second half of last
year, Ufone launched an additional 1200 4G/LTE sites to upgrade its 47% network on LTE by re-farming
its existing spectrum. The LTE services are now available in more than 70 cities with total data customers
over 10 Million mark. Ufone facilitated free access to the Government of Pakistan emergency helplines of
Corona call centers, labs, hospitals and ambulances, besides providing free access to Pakistan Red
Crescent to allow for easy and immediate access to Corona relief centers.
Ubank, a microfinance banking subsidiary of PTCL, continued its growth momentum and has achieved a
50% growth in its revenue over last year by increasing its customers’ loan portfolio and deposits. The
deposit book of the Bank grew by 98% as the Bank acted aggressively yet judiciously to shield itself from
pandemic related liquidity shocks. A healthy Advance to Deposit Ratio (ADR) was maintained,
accompanied by a tight control on the cost of deposits.
Despite COVID-19 leading to both complete and partial lockdowns for several months of the year, the
cellular subscribers in 2020, crossed 175 million (82% penetration) with 4G subscribers growing at 50%.
Overall data subscribers (both 4G & 3G) crossed 90 million mark, registering an increase of around 19%.
3G subscriber base, on the other hand, kept shrinking at YoY 20%, due to substitution of 4G handset
penetration in the market.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ufone has undertaken multiple initiatives to facilitate customers,
employees as well as other stakeholders to provide relief in these unprecedented times. We developed
customized products and offers to address the need to work from home as well as offered subsidized
bundles to facilitate uninterrupted peer-to-peer communication. Ufone also allowed free access to the
Government of Pakistan emergency helplines for Corona call centers, labs, hospitals and ambulances,
including free access to Pakistan Red Crescent to allow for easy and immediate access to Corona relief
centers. The COVID-19 awareness messages were broadcasted on mass media throughout the period with
prevention tips for safety and to create awareness. Moreover, subsidized recharge offers and free fund
transfer facilities were provided for ease of access to top-ups during the lockdown.
In the second half of last year, Ufone was able to launch an additional 1200 4G/LTE sites across Pakistan
by re-farming its existing spectrum. As an urban-centric brand, expansion in LTE capacity & footprint has
enabled Ufone to increase stickiness and service the needs of consumers while bridging the gap with
competition. The LTE services are now available in more than 70 cities and our total data customers have
crossed the 10 Million mark.
Ufone capitalized smartly on its investments in network upgradation through advanced geo-analytics and
significantly increased revenue from newly rolled out 4G cities. So far, 47% of Ufone’s network is
upgraded to LTE which is helping to add more subscriber base to its network.
Despite the COVID-19 challenge, we have maintained our customer experience rating vs the industry and
continue to be the top three in customer satisfaction in 2020.
The Super Family continued to be the champion product in 2020 as well. Due to customer centric
offerings, Ufone was able to upgrade its customers from Super Card towards Super Card Plus,
significantly raising the ARPU.
In the Consumer Postpaid segment new Postpaid packages were introduced that helped grow the
postpaid base with growth in new connections. Changes in package mix for the postpaid base carried out
through continuous upselling and cross-selling campaigns resulted in ARPU growth in all Prime Packages.
Moreover, a positive word of mouth was experienced on social media about the simplicity offered in the
new Prime Packages.
In 2020, Ufone relaunched its Mobile Financial Services brand (UPaisa) with a fresh look and feel. As part
of the relaunch, a mobile app covering all essential transactions including QR based payments were also
introduced for iOS and Android users.
The financial services portfolio started gaining momentum, as wallets increased significantly in the past
year supplemented by synergies within the PTCL Group coupled with enhanced opportunities for our
retail channel as well.
In 2020, Ufone’s data strategy centered on upgrading existing customers towards higher value internet
packages. This was accomplished through smart pricing and optimization of portfolio dynamics
supported by network upgrade. Furthermore, through the assistance of concentrated initiatives, locationbased offers were introduced to not only improve existing product engagement, but also acquire new
internet customers.
Ufone’s Value Added Services strategy for 2020 focused on consolidating the existing VAS portfolio and
launching new digital initiatives. For its complete customer base, Ufone introduced Google Direct Carrier
Billing (DCB) in 2020. This has digitally enabled customers to purchase mobile applications and in-app
accessories using their mobile balance. Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) has opened up a new revenue stream
for Ufone where it can act as a payment collection agent for many new partners and provide its customers
with a more convenient and enriched access to digital content.