SIM Guide for Gilgit-Baltistan: Which Network, How to Buy
1
Which network works where
In Gilgit, Skardu and the main towns most networks work. SCOM has the oldest and widest network in many remote valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, and in some places it is the only signal. Jazz, Zong, Telenor and Ufone cover the cities and much of the Karakoram Highway, but coverage changes valley by valley.
The best way to choose is to check what people in that exact area report. Open the coverage map and the place guides, which list the networks that work there.
2
How to buy a new SIM
- Go to the network's own franchise or a registered retailer.
- Bring your original CNIC. Pakistani SIMs are issued only after biometric (thumb) verification.
- Foreign visitors need their passport and visa. The SIM is registered on the passport.
- Never buy a SIM that is already registered on someone else's CNIC.
3
Check SIMs on your CNIC
Send your CNIC number without dashes in an SMS to 668. PTA replies with how many SIMs of each network are registered on it. If you see a SIM you do not use, block it at that network's franchise.
4
Tips for travellers
- Carry two SIMs from different networks, one of them SCOM if you go to remote valleys.
- Buy a data package before you leave the city. Check the package finder for the cheapest per GB.
- Download offline maps, signal can drop for hours on mountain roads.
- Save emergency numbers on the phone, they work without data.