Websites Pakistan | Zerorated

For a daily-wage laborer in Multan or a university student in Peshawar, zero-rated services are a lifeline. Jazz, Pakistan’s largest mobile operator with over 70 million subscribers, has long offered free access to WhatsApp, Facebook, and even Google on select prepaid packages.

The logic is seductive:

“Without free WhatsApp, I would spend Rs. 200–300 a week just on basic communication,” says Ahsan Raza, a delivery rider in Lahore. “That’s my family’s milk money.” zerorated websites pakistan

From a business perspective, zero-rating is a classic “gateway drug” strategy. Once a user tastes the digital world, operators bet they will eventually pay for full internet access. And the numbers back this up: Pakistan’s teledensity (mobile users) hovers around 80%, but broadband penetration remains stubbornly below 30%. Zero-rating fills the gap.

When Jazz gives away free Facebook, a local Pakistani startup—say, a homegrown job portal like Rozee.pk or a messaging app like Bykea Chat—cannot compete. Why would a user pay for data to visit a local site when a foreign giant is free? For a daily-wage laborer in Multan or a

“Zero-rating creates a two-tier internet,” explains digital rights lawyer Usama Khilji. “The rich (global platforms) get free lanes. The poor (local innovators, newspapers, educational portals) get toll roads.”

Despite the short-term wins, tech policy experts warn that zero-rating violates the principle of Net Neutrality—the idea that all internet traffic should be treated equally. “Without free WhatsApp, I would spend Rs

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has historically adopted a passive, case-by-case approach. In 2016, during the height of the net neutrality debate, PTA stated that zero-rating “may be allowed as long as it does not harm competition.”

But critics argue this is impossible. By definition, favoring one website (e.g., Facebook) over another (e.g., a local blog) harms competition.

Recently, there have been subtle shifts. In 2023, PTA warned operators against “unfair trade practices” regarding zero-rated voice/video calling—a nod to the fact that free WhatsApp calls were cannibalizing operators’ own voice revenue. The irony was not lost on activists: Operators hate zero-rating only when it hurts their profits, not when it hurts local startups.