This practice is distinct from the temporary free internet offers occasionally announced by the government or the PTA. Those offers usually provide a blanket amount of data for all websites for a limited time, such as the 2GB free data offered to all mobile users. Zero-rating, by contrast, is selective: it picks winners and losers on the internet.
There is a growing push from civil society and policymakers to steer zero-rating away from commercial social media networks and toward public goods. Whitelisting university portals, online job marketplaces, and digital banking apps (like Easypaisa and JazzCash) could yield higher economic returns for the country. Conclusion
Specific deployments in federal educational institutes for G Suite (Classroom, Docs, Drive). Public Health & Government: zero-rated websites pakistan
Pakistan does not have a codified, standalone "Net Neutrality Law" like India (which banned zero-rating completely in 2016). Instead, Pakistan relies on a mix of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act 1996 and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 .
Rather than completely free, open-ended zero-rating, operators are shifting toward ultra-cheap micro-bundles (e.g., a few rupees for daily WhatsApp access). This helps telcos monetize services while keeping costs negligible for the consumer. This practice is distinct from the temporary free
The government is realizing that zero-rating is a powerful welfare tool. We will likely see a rise in .
In Pakistan, zero-rating is primarily implemented by major operators like Jazz, Zong, Telenor, and Ufone. These operators partner with specific content providers to exempt their traffic from data caps. For example, during critical periods like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) directed operators to zero-rate health-related websites and government portals to ensure the public had free access to vital information. List of Zero-Rated Websites and Services There is a growing push from civil society
Several MNOs in Pakistan offer zero-rated websites, including:
Supporting government-led health and education drives, as seen with the PTA's COVID-19 directives. Challenges and Net Neutrality
A Pakistani entrepreneur launching a new social media or educational app cannot compete with a platform that users can browse for free. This effectively traps low-income users inside a "walled garden" controlled by a few global conglomerates. 2. Information Asymmetry and the "Text-Only" Trap