Before you start

Passport with a valid Pakistani visa, or CNIC/NICOP/POC
A visit to an operator's own service centre
An unlocked handset
A Faisalabad address for fixed broadband

Step-by-step

1
Go to an operator's own service centre
Foreign passport registration uses a different NADRA verification path from the CNIC route, and small franchise outlets are often not enabled for it. Jazz, Zong, Telenor and Ufone all run proper service centres around D-Ground and on Susan Road.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Expect biometric capture at the counter
Fingerprints are taken and matched against NADRA before activation, including for foreign passport holders through NADRA's foreigner verification system. There is no anonymous prepaid market anywhere in Pakistan.
In personWho: You
3
Confirm how many SIMs you are permitted
PTA's framework allows Pakistani CNIC holders a substantial number of SIMs across operators; foreign nationals are limited far more tightly, commonly reported at around two in total. Do not assume separate work, personal and data lines are possible.
In personWho: You
4
Ask which fibre provider has actually wired the building, and separately the workplace
Coverage in Faisalabad is building-by-building and thins out quickly toward the industrial estates and the outer housing schemes. Get a named provider from the landlord and confirm a free port with the provider before signing. If you will be working from a mill or an estate office, ask the same question about that address — the answers are frequently different.
OnlineWho: YouBefore signing a lease
5
Buy data generously — it costs very little
Pakistani mobile data pricing is among the lowest anywhere and coverage across the Faisalabad urban area is good. For a lot of residents the phone is the primary connection and the fallback when fibre fails, which in the outer areas it does.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Fit a UPS or battery-backed router
FESCO load shedding varies by feeder and season, and the industrial belt's demand profile is not the same as a residential one. A battery-backed router and a charged phone hotspot are standard home-office equipment here rather than a contingency plan.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with valid visa, or CNIC/NICOP/POC
Proof of a Faisalabad address, for fixed broadband
Fingerprints, taken at the counter

Things most newcomers don’t know

Foreign nationals get a fraction of a citizen's SIM allowance.

PTA's subscriber registration framework treats foreign passport holders separately from CNIC holders, with a much lower ceiling — commonly reported at around two SIMs in total against a substantially higher figure for citizens. Anyone planning separate lines for work, personal use and a data device runs into it immediately. PTA revises these regulations, so confirm the current number at an operator's service centre rather than relying on a published figure.

Source: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority

The connectivity gradient in Faisalabad runs from the city outward, and the jobs are outward.

Fibre is reasonable around D-Ground, Susan Road and the established residential areas, and gets noticeably worse toward the outer housing schemes and the industrial estates north of the city. That matters because the industrial estates are where a lot of the work is: an engineer commuting to the Sahianwala interchange may find the office connection is worse than the flat's. Ask about both addresses, not just the one you sleep at.

Source: community-reported

There is no anonymous prepaid SIM in Pakistan.

Every SIM is biometrically bound at activation to an identity document, matched against NADRA in real time. Buying a pre-activated SIM from a stall — normal practice elsewhere in the region — means using a number registered to a stranger, which is unlawful and a real problem if anything happens on that line. The five-minute biometric at a service centre is the only correct route.

Source: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority

Franchise shops frequently cannot register a foreign passport, and will not say so.

The biometric verification path for a foreign passport runs through NADRA's foreigner verification system rather than the ordinary CNIC route, and smaller outlets are commonly not enabled for it. Staff will attempt it, fail, and send you away without explaining why. Going directly to an operator's flagship service centre turns a repeated frustration into a single visit.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Buying a pre-activated SIM registered to someone else.
Attempting foreign-passport registration at a small franchise outlet.
Assuming the SIM allowance a Pakistani colleague has.
Checking broadband at home and not at the estate office where you will actually work.
Running a home office with no battery backup through a FESCO load-shedding schedule.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.