PTA shares details of mobile service charges and tariffs

To make mobile charges clearer and avoid hidden fees, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has shared full details of what mobile services really cost. This step comes as many users have complained about the increasing prices of calls, texts, and internet usage.

What Are the Standard Mobile Rates?

If you’re not using any specific package or bundle, you’ll pay regular “Pay As You Go” rates:

• Calls: Rs3.2 to Rs3.6 per minute
• SMS: Rs2.15 to Rs2.5 per message
• Mobile Data: Rs3.3 to Rs5 per MB

What About Taxes?

Taxes take a big bite out of your mobile balance:

• 15% Withholding Tax (WHT) means a Rs100 recharge gives you only Rs86.96.
• 19.5% General Sales Tax (GST) is applied to each call, SMS, or data use, costing about Rs14.19 more.

In total, you lose Rs27.23 in taxes on every Rs100 recharge.

Who Sets the Prices?

• Jazz, being the biggest player (called an SMP: Significant Market Power), must get PTA approval before changing prices or launching new packages. They must also show how it will affect users and compare it with other providers.
• Other companies like Ufone, Telenor, and Zong can change prices on their own but must notify users 7 days before any change.

While it’s unclear when the last price update was, the PTA says it carefully checks all changes by big providers, looking at things like costs, inflation, and market trends.

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