Warid Officially Launches its 4G LTE Services in Pakistan

By Aamir Attaa | Published Dec 26, 2014 | 12:00 am

Warid_4G_LogoAfter offering free LTE trials for over a month, Warid has now officially announced the launch of its LTE services in Pakistan.

Starting today (December 26th, 2014) Warid’s LTE services will be available commercially in following six cities:

  • Lahore
  • Islamabad
  • Karachi
  • Rawalpindi
  • Faisalabad
  • Gujranwala

Warid has said that all customers will be given a free LTE trial for 7 days after the commercial launch, after which Rs. 5/MB will be charged for all data transactions.

Warid users can expect some handy data bundles for LTE services in days to come.

Warid_Management_Launch_LTE

Group Photo of Warid Management Team:  From right – Mr. Suhail Jan (CCO), Mr. Adeel Bajwa (Board Member), Mr. Muneer Farooqui (CEO) , Mr. Tariq Gulzar (CFO) and Mr. Muhammad Irfan (CTO/CIO) Warid Telecom. 

Warid has notified its LTE customers about the end of unlimited LTE trials. Customers were sent SMS messages, automated calls and emails notifying them about the end of trials and the tariffs for data transactions.

Warid 4G_SMS

After starting LTE trials for corporate and postpaid users in November, company had announced free unlimited trials for prepaid users earlier in December.

Not to be mentioned, Ericsson — a market leader for wireless data traffic all around the world — is Warid’s sole technology partner in Pakistan for the rollout of the LTE network.

To ensure that the company continues to offer its users the most advanced technologies, Warid will be investing around US$500 million over the next five years to expand its network across the country.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Muneer Farooqui, CEO Warid Telecom, said,

“Over the years, Warid Telecom has developed a reputation for breaking new ground in Pakistan’s mobile landscape. We have always remained at the forefront of innovation: our decision to transform directly from 2G to LTE technology is a reflection of this spirit of innovation.

With this move, Warid becomes the first mobile operator in Pakistan to transform directly from 2G to LTE technology.

Moving forward to 2015 and beyond, we will continue to invest in premium technologies and network infrastructure to ensure service excellence to our patrons who have always held us close to their hearts.

I am confident that with the trust and loyalty by our customers, Warid Telecom will rise to stellar heights within this new telecoms paradigm.”

Warid LTE Packages

As mentioned above, the base rate for Warid LTE services is Rs. 5 per MB. This rate will apply if there’s no data bundle added for your number. But naturally, this is expensive and you will tend to add data bundles available for prepaid and postpaid users. Keep reading to know the details:

Prepaid Plans

  • Weekly 250 MB: Rs. 50
  • Monthly 300MB: Rs. 100
  • Monthly 750MB: Rs. 200
  • Monthly 1.5GB: Rs. 300
  • Monthly 5GB: Rs. 500
  • Monthly 8GB: Rs. 800

Dial *777# for LTE menu to subscribe to any package and check your internet balance.

Postpaid

  • Monthly 750MB: Rs. 200
  • Monthly 1.5GB: Rs. 300
  • Monthly 5GB: Rs. 500
  • Monthly 8GB: Rs. 800

Coverage Map

Warid has managed to cover well the areas in major cities of Pakistan. As we told you before, Lahore is pretty much covered and strongest hold for LTE services from Warid. Same is the case with other cities and coverage is only bound to get better with time.

You can go ahead and see coverage map yourself: http://www.waridtel.com/lte/coverage-map

LTE Handsets

It merits mentioning here that Warid has partnered with various smartphone brands for procurement of 4G LTE handsets in the country. Company also entered into an agreement with Daraz to offer 4G compatible handsets for online purchasing.

Warid has also setup its online handset portal where you can find number of deals available with various handsets. Here’s the link: http://www.waridtel.com/lte/lte-handset-portal/handset-deals/smartphone-deals

Below is the official press release for Warid’s 4G launch:

Warid Telecom, Pakistan’s most trusted and innovative mobile service provider, proudly announces the official launch of LTE services in Pakistan.

Starting from 26th December, 2014, Warid customers will be able to enjoy 7 days of free customer trials of LTE services in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Faisalabad and Gujranwala.

Warid has always taken great pride on putting its consumers first; to this end, the company has always focused on introducing innovative and creative services to its customers.

The company’s focus on exceptional services has brought it great acclaim for amazing customer care, exceptional network quality, transparency, and innovation in products and services.

With the introduction of 4G services in Pakistan, Warid has maintained its position as the leading innovator by launching LTE technology in the country. This makes Warid Telecom Pakistan’s first operator to transform from 2G to LTE technology.

To ensure that the company continues to offer its users the most advanced technologies, Warid is investing around US$500 million over the next five years to expand its network across the country.

Warid has a reputation for using only the very best of telecoms technologies; continuing in this tradition, Warid has selected Ericsson, the world leader in LTE/wireless broadband technology, as its sole technology partner for the rollout of its LTE network.

Warid Telecom possesses Pakistan’s largest postpaid customer base, as well as ‘Glow by Warid’ the country’s leading cellular youth brand. Warid Telecom is also committed to giving back to society via its active Corporate Social Responsibility program.

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Aamir Attaa

Tech and telecom reporter for over 15 years


      • Dongle and router are two separate things. Telcos would give hard time to PTCL once they come with their 3d/4g enabled dongles

        • Dangles usb plug and play and also cloud like devices are easily available in market. I got tplink m5250. It’s very good.

          • 4g lte supported on this device or not.. Which sim you are using on this device and how much kbs or mbps u getting..reply plz

            • All Sims works on it. Am using telenor. 50 rs unlimited daily package. I get around 1.5 MB on I’m and around 500 kb to 1 MB on torrents. I had ptcl nitro before threw it away. It’s only 3g supported. You can Google it specs. Model is tplink M5250. 1.5 MB/sec unlimited is more than enough for me so I don’t care about warid lte.

              • I went tecno city today tplink 5350 is available with the almost same price tag..where as i also seen tplink ma 260 with 3400rs price tag but it is non wifi.. May be i go for it..some china made is also available but dont hav warranty, Thanks for the review.. Wht abt vibr and whatsapp is tht working or not thro wifi plus tell how u charge your telenor card thro tplink dvice or not..

                • Yes that’s also available here at same price but it’s non wifi. I recharge through easy load but u can also put sim in cell to recharge it. If someone have better solution than do share :)

                  • Mobilink 3G is giving 7gb in 60 rupees used it once on my phone getting 500to800kbps downloading..easy load is better option. I had wingle it was pathetic..which telenor pkg ur using..i hv seen thre is 8rupee bundle for 5000mb but it is timed based pkg..where your friend bought dvice from…

                    • Problem with mobilink is limited time offer. If those packages become permanent then they are awesome. I use telenor 50 rs unlimited daily. So it’s 2000/month with all taxes. I live in multan and bought device from khan center

                    • Can you please tell us the name of the package that you are using which charge 50rp with unlimited bandwidth. There is no information on telenor’s website.

                    • If you read in terms and conditions it’s mention there. Without package 50 rs is cut and rest of day is free.

                    • Bro..please share the speedtest result by taking screenshot of the speed youre getting..plus i wanted to know is tht your device tplink got heat up when you surf the internet or not?

                    • which pkg are u talking about….. giving 7 GB in 60 rupees on mobilink. would u plz share info about it……

              • I bought TP-Link 5250 a month ago. I have tried ufone, mobilink, and zong on it, but just ufone is working without any change in configuration, rest are still no connected. Did you change any configuration for zong/mobilink sims? ..

    • why use dongle in the first place if you are using a 4G handset then you can simply make a hot-spot rather than spending on the dongle device. Aik ticket main 2 mazay.

  • No coverage in most of areas of KARACHI … what the meaning of official launching without coverage ?

    • i agree with you , since they didnot invested loads of dollar in purchasing the license , the least we were expecting from warid is to have a Major coverage in major cities , they’re lazy as all the sheiks are , they just think having Billions of Dollar in their pocket is enough to run the business !!

  • Having LTE only is great. It means the majority of people with low end phones don’t get to choke the network and service remains top notch as it has always been with Warid.

    • Is Warid really that good? I’ve been thinking of buying a second SIM along with Mobilink and I’m confused between Telenor and Warid.

      • Don’t ever think to buy Telenor for superior network quality, telenor is dumb in giving gud quality network, Warid is far ahead better in network quality. i’m now permanent warid customer after experiencing Telenor, and much more satisfied.

  • Warid LTE Packages .Dial *777# to subscribe:

    1.Weekly 250MB @ Rs.50
    2.Monthly 300MB @ Rs.100
    3.Monthly 750MB @ Rs.200
    4.Monthly 1.5GB @ Rs.300
    5.Monthly 5GB @ Rs.500
    6.Monthly 8GB @ Rs.800

  • Have been using warid 4g lte in khi from 15 dec.
    Loved the experience. Great coverage in my area and good speed ! Also luckily i have been using zong 4g to, atleast for me there was not much of a difference between the t

    Below is a warid speedtest !!!

              • Yaar when i went to the business centre warid k, they were very clear that only note 4 and alpha is officialy supported by warid 4g lte and other handsets are not currently working untill samsung makes their software compatable . According to them its because of some software thing at samsung”s end not warid. NOW I HAVE NO IDEA K WO KITNA SAHI KEHRAY THAY.
                Luckly i had purchased the alpha . Same issue is with my sister’s s5.
                I have read on various forums regarding some software flashing which makes this issue come to an end and some other settings. It would be better if u look for them urself…

                • Yes you are right….after some digging and help….i got the whole issue sorted out. …The thing is all those countries who didnt have lte while samsung launched their mobiles like s5 note 3 (LTE models) dont have lte options in their network settings. ..its because our sets still think zong and warid are whitelisted for 3G/2G….Samsung will update it sooner or later to enable the operators data base of warid and zong as 4G lte and then our mobiles will detect their sims as lte enabled….

      • I know what is 4G and LTE…And by definition both zong and warid are offering LTE (4G)…..NO one is behind here…..there are different standards for these techs and alot of debate…but to cut short…I can assure you that by 4G in PAK by zong and warid…it means 4GLTE for both.

  • Arabs won the race over chinese.. Didnt paid a penny for 4G LTE license.. Lol gud work warid.. Love the warid quality premium network.

  • I purchased Samsung S5 4G LTE. I place warid 4G sim in phone but operator tell me that ur phone is not supported in our system. Now tell me the solution how can i use 4G in my 4G enabled mobile phone. My contact 03217077313

  • Warid dnt show anything about its LTE on its site and no coverage map available anywhere.
    This propakistani always giving a big hand to warid dnt know why but its true.

  • I don’t know why you got Rawalpindi in there. If Saddar, Airport Colony and some portions of GT road are the whole Rawalpindi then I am the president of USA.

  • Have been using LTE since the 28th November and what a wonderful experience it was, experienced far better speeds in Islamabad (up to 33mbps) compared to Lahore (max 10mbps). Used 40+Gb of data and always worked seamlessly. Hats of to warid for managing all this is a single 10 mhz band. Speedtest screenshots and data usage screenshot is attached

  • Now the stiff competition has started between all operators.Warid should reduce its rates further and 20GB data volume should be available at Rs 1000/.Official USB dongles should also be introduced for staying competitive in market.Now it is expected that total 3G/4G customers will reach 10 million in next 4 months.

  • Why are Warid’s LTE rates so cheap?
    I mean Telenor is charging Rs 1000/per month for 8GB on their 3G network.
    Same case with other operators.

    • To attract more customers. Don’t forget most number of smartphones in Pakistan aren’t 4G compatible. 4G enabled handsets are costly whereas 3G handsets starts from Rs.8000 these days.

  • I didn’t get above 12MB/s speed anywhere in Lahore except at their main business center (where 20MB/s was the speed). In Islamabad, I got minimum speed of 8-9MB/s with full signal bar. In Lahore it drops every time to 2G where it costed me alot. I’m not happy with their 4G LTE. When I have to make a call, I’ll have to wait for about 30 seconds to connect, WTH. Before 4G LTE trials, it was smooth but now their quality gone very bad. My rating: 5/10. Sorry Warid but it is a fact. Thinking my options.

    • you r right finally at some point Warid’s customers have face the consequences . . . with reduced call qaulity … as they are running both of things on same frequency . . .

      • It’s a fact Warid customers will face reduced quality of services with the passage of time. Warid has 2x5Mhz spectrum from 900Mhz band, which might get congested as entire voice traffic is shifted to it. Warid has just 2×8.8Mhz in 1800Mhz band, which means they can offer LTE services but for limited subscribers.

        • Warid can add more BTS(Cells) easily in areas where load will be more by using same spectrum.Adding new cells is a easier solution which Warid will adopt..

          • Installing a new cell site isn’t a solution for Warid. Sooner or later they have to increase/purchase spectrum.

    • LOL! 12MB/s really???? 12MB/s equals up to approx. 140Mbps. MB/s aka Mega Byte per Second whereas Mbps aka Mega Bits Per Second.

      • Every time I get confused in it. Actually I’m quoting the speed what SpeedTest app gives on my LG G2. I think it is Mbps. Thanks for the correction & sorry for the misstatement. :)

  • Impressive packages, zong offers 4GB bundle at rupees 650 and warid offers 5GB bundle at rupees 500, Nice
    Warid made his ground, I am a zong user and must say that zong will be failed in coming days due to his expensive bundles.
    Hats off to Warid

    • But bro in the long-run warid will fail cuz ultimately their single frequncy band (running both 4g and celular) will be unable to bear the traffic . . and customers will be affected with reduced speed and call quality … people have already started complaining about call quality since the public trials of 4g …. and this will get worse with the time….. and if you comapre zong’s 4g you will find that zong’s speed benchmarks are higher than those of warid

      • You have not being paying attention brother. If you’ve ever read the previous articles of Warid 4G on Propakistani where it is written that Warid has total 12 million customers in which half of them are inactive.Also, they have only 30,000 of 4G LTE customer or less. (not confirm). Warid has a prowess to deploy 4G LTE easily and I hope they will get success. I had been using their EDGE for 3 years and downloaded a lot of data. 100MB file just an hour with a constant speed of 26KB/s throughout a day, a month even a year. Perhaps, I’m wrong, because I didn’t use the Warid 4G LTE trial. Time will speak itself. Let’s See!

        • Definitely, the board of directors are already think about it, warid is a multibillion organization and they choose the best company to rolling out it’s LTE service, I think warid will easily beat the Chinese telecom after all Warid is the best 2G service provider in Pakistan, zong’s 2G data service is below average and it’s Ping in 3G is little bit high, and it’s bad for the video calls.
          I am sure that Warid will roll out it’s LTE service faster and I am waiting for its LTE service.

        • Yeah lets see what happens when the time goes on….
          but i’ve used warid’s 4g trials . .and the best speed that i got was 20Mbps which was while sitting inside warid business center gulberg, lahore .. . otherwise i rarely crossed 9Mbps Mark…. whereas on Zong i consistently got more than 25Mbps .. . .i could really feel the difference.

      • To add to what Aamir said. Warid has slots in both 1800 Mhz band and 900 Mhz band. Before, Warid was using both bands combined for its voice and data services. Now it has shifted voice to the 900 Mhz band while LTE is up on he 1800 Mhz band. You can test it as well. When in an area with LTE coverage you make a phone-call the network status changes from LTE to 2G or GSM. And as Aamir says, Warid’s significantly smaller but loyal (highest ARPU generation in all telcos) customer base allows them to go through with this dual-band plan. If, however, there is a sudden, huge influx of customers in the near future then your theory can be deemed plausible.

        • Warid can add new cell sites where customers will be more and will also go for purchasing new spectrum in next auction.All depend on number of data customers they attract.But they have all options to retain these customers.

  • They must have given more data because its 4G LTE not 2G or 3G…. even 8GB data in 3G is scrap… what is the advantage of 20Mbps if u have only 8GB maximum data… :/

  • I won’t think that Warid will be more prominent because the speed and packages are not reasonable will let’s hope for the best

  • So, if the much-touted 4G LTE is not available, you are stuck mind-numblingly slow speeds of 2G EDGE. No, thank you!

  • I purchased Samsung S5 4G LTE. SM-G900F.. I place warid 4G sim in phone but operator tell me that ur phone is not supported in our system. Now tell me the solution how can i use 4G in my 4G enabled mobile phone.My phone support 1800 Mhz but still there is no LTE option.. My contact 03217077313

    • Probably they haven’t updated their system. SM-G900F is fully compatible with Warid’s 1800 band. Go to their franchise with your device’s spec sheet, this is certainly an error. Btw, where do you live? It might be a coverage issue.

    • either root ur devise or w8 for the new firmware that might show an lte option….i did root and enjoying 4g lte :)

    • I was also having the same prob. Just ignore those pple. Go to settings, more networks, mobile networks and see in the network mode do u get a lte option (lte/wcdma/gsm auto) if yes select that option and u can use lte if not then u have to flash ur phone with a official firmware from sammobile.com i was having the same prob but i flashed and it started working. Hope it helps ya

    • Just try this code *2222# and from.options select back then select key input Q.then.again back select from list debugg then back Band selection Lte.

  • what a biased statement for coverage map as in Karachi there coverage is pathetic , more like splash of red colour on karachi;s map

  • Pathetic. ..they dont have patches for most phones being sold in the market. All phones with LTE compatibility imported from US or UK are deemed incompatible. .CS advises iphone 6 and 6 plus only…..kaash yeh Karachi aaatay .Ouu industrial areas dont permit this luxury without a private guard.

  • I have Tp link 5250 (3G router) , it’s great device for 3G sim, I bought it Rs. 5400 1 month ago but some days ago my friend bought it in Rs 5000,
    If you want full detail then Google tp link 5250,

      • the best is you buy two different devices from tplink , one wr 3040 is worlds most portable battery powered fully functional router having price of rs.3000. This device has bandwith control, parental control and firewall and buy usb 3.75 g modem supports upto 22.1 Mbps model no. ma260 price Rs.3400,

      • Tp link 5350 is same as 5250, only deffirance is 5350 have LCD screen, & it’s price is 6200, so I suggestion you to buy 5250. Absolutely working fine,
        If any friend want any info about this device then mail me at [email protected]

        • can you confirm me one thing ?
          can we fix the connection to 3g only like we do in adroid
          gsm/wcdma & WCDMA only ?

        • I bought TP-Link 5250 a month ago. I have tried ufone, mobilink, and zong on it, but just ufone is working without any change in configuration, rest are still no connected. Did you change any configuration for zong/mobilink sims? ..

    • Hi Khurram, I am Using Warid LTE on my S4 I9505 by following method. it should work on ur Note3 as well.

      1. *#0011# (Enter this on dial pad, it will enable Service Mode)
      2. Click Property Button and Select “Back”.
      3. Again Click Property Button and Select “Key Input”.
      4. Enter “Q” and press ok.
      5. Again Click Property Button and Select “Key Input”.
      6. Enter “0000” and press ok and wait for few Sec.
      7. From the list select “LTE” by touch/click.
      8. From the list select “PREF MODE Set” by touch/click.
      9. Select “GWL” from the list.
      10. Click “GWL! PLZ REBOOT”

      and plz don’t forget to change ur “apn” setting to “lte.warid”.

      It will not enable any view able option in “Mobile Networks” but will force ur phone to LTE Network. I think samsung will push a patch/update for this option in Pakistan for Warid Network.

  • what kind of LTE is it?
    1. Low speed: I have gotten max 5mb in Lahore
    2. Shifts to edge when on call or sending/receiving sms
    -Due to shifts in edge and LTE, battery is gone in no time
    -No internet while in the call

    I have been loyal customer of warid since 10 years, and been waiting for LTE since long, but at the end disappointed. I think Mobilink has consistent and good speeds in Lahore. I need to port out.

    Any suggestions would be appreciated.

    Thanks!

  • TP Link Announced 4G Router, LTE-Advanced Mobile WiFi M7350.

    might be work with warid 4G.
    warid also introduced 35GB data volume just Rs. 3000/Month. with share facility.

    • 3G4G providers are still a long way out in competing with broadband internet. They offer speeds, yes, but their data caps are horrible. Who would move to Warid’s 35GB when the can get 300GB for 2100/- on PeeTCL (4 Mbps). I’d say give the telcos a year or a year-and-a-half to recover some of their investment. Then when they start offering great data buckets it will surely be bye-bye PeeTCL. If PeeTCL doesn’t keep up, that is.

      • Mobilink has already offered unlimited 3G at Just Rs 600/ and Telenor has also offered unlimited 3G for fixed time limit at just Rs 300/.So data caps of these two cellular companies are almost unlimited.Other cellular companies will also reduce their rates drastically in coming months.So competition is on between PTCL and 3G/4G Operators.PTCL should reduce its Rs1250/ at data rate of 1 Mbps to at least Rs 600/ for staying competitive in market.Those who will maintain quality and reduce rates will succeed in the long run.See who wins the game.

        • Brother, kindly inform mehow to activate mobilink and telenor unlimited 3g bundles?
          What data speed they offer???

          • Mobilink’s bundles are for limited time only … any ways the maximum bundle you’ll get will be of 30GB in 600 rs here is the detail

          • here is the detail of mobilink’s 3g package.. but it for limited time only …. wheres as on telenor your 3g will become free/unlimited for the rest of the day(of course up-till 12:00 midnight of that day) if you will use rs50 of 3g without being on any package.

        • The Mobilink bundle isn’t unlimited. It switches to 2G speeds after 30GB. And I can’t find any information on the Telenor’s unlimited bundle. But I guess, reputable unlimited bundles (>150-200GB) will come in time.

          • Telenor package is if you use Rs 50/ 3G daily rest of day is free.So unlimited 3G package is Rs 1500/ per month.

          • And if for Mobilink, 30GB 3G costs Rs 600/ and rest data is on 2G, it means it is unlimited.What else a common consumer demands/wants.It is more than enough

            • Speed is no factor, right? Downloading at 2 Mbps and then suddenly downgrading to 50 kbps is no change at all?? A close to 3900% decrease?

    • Tplink 4g router not availble in pakistan so far.

      Yes It do support warid & zong.

      Might be available in Pk in couple of months

  • Excuse my Language , but their LTE Coverage in Karachi is of like CHUTIYAPA , Period

  • Warid 4G LTE..
    Maximum Data Bundle : 8 GB

    such a nice joke.
    when I got my warid 4G LTE sim, I used almost 26 gb 1st day.
    now warid offer only 8gb for 800.
    no way.

  • can some one post here about 4G/LTE bands which is working in pakistan as some of smartphones can’t support 4G/LTE frequencies in pakistan can confiram these bands in pakistan
    4G: FDD-LTE B3/B7
    and if some one want to take myfi pocket size are mifi router 3G/4G i can provide on efortable price let me know on my mail [email protected]

  • Watid need to reduce charges and increase gb limits… Speed is good , using on Huawei MiFi LTE hotspot, Bought Huawei E5377 from some apnabroadband, paid cash on delivery in Karachi

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