Pakistan eSIM

Staying connected in Pakistan

Most visits to Pakistan begin in Islamabad, Lahore or Karachi, whether you are visiting family, travelling for work or heading north to Gilgit-Baltistan, where the Karakoram Highway climbs to 4,714 m. Install a travel eSIM at home and switch it on when you land. AirOva sells Pakistan plans from $1.49, with a fixed amount of data or unlimited, all data only, with no call minutes, SMS or local phone number.

Which Pakistan plan to choose

GB plans suit most trips, since maps and messaging take little data, and run on Jazz. Unlimited plans give unlimited data with no data cap and no fair-usage limit, priced by the number of days, and run on Jazz. Each plan card shows whether it is listed as 4G or 5G. Visiting family? Keep your home SIM on for calls and bank codes.

Jazz, Zong and Ufone

Jazz, formerly Mobilink, is Pakistan's largest mobile operator. The others are Zong and Ufone, whose parent PTCL bought Telenor Pakistan at the end of 2025 and has since merged it into Ufone. Our plans run on Jazz, and Zong and Ufone are not on our plans. In Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, the state-run SCO has its own network, and we have no coverage data for the mountain valleys there.

Arriving in Islamabad, Lahore or Karachi

Islamabad International (ISB) is 25 km south-west of the capital, Jinnah International (KHI) serves Karachi, and Allama Iqbal International (LHE) lies about 15 km from central Lahore. After landing, switch on the eSIM line, choose it for mobile data and enable Data Roaming for that line. UK travel advice says you need a visa in advance unless you hold a NICOP, and an entry stamp in your passport.

Travel advice and outages

UK travel advice advises against all travel to Balochistan, to parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, and within 10 miles of the Afghan border and of the Line of Control, and against all but essential travel within 5 miles of the Indian border. It warns that mobile data and internet can be cut without warning during protests or unrest. In the north, it advises against the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas and says flights to Gilgit and Skardu can change at short notice.

Tip: download offline maps of the whole northern route before you leave Islamabad. Crossing the Khunjerab Pass into China? It usually opens from April to November, and a Pakistan plan works in Pakistan only; more in our Pakistan eSIM guide.