My Experience with PTCL vs Zong 4G

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In today's world, living without the internet is practically impossible. It’s become one of our basic needs, as the entire world has transformed into a global village where we stay connected through the internet. Many people rely on it for their livelihoods, and if the internet goes down or the speed slows, it can create serious problems. This is especially true if you’re doing an online job or working remotely, as slow internet can drastically impact your productivity and efficiency.

At home, we had a PTCL internet connection with a speed of 12 Mbps. However, PTCL’s service in our area isn’t great, and I was facing a lot of difficulties because of it. I live in a small town—not a major city like Lahore or Islamabad—so the level of service here is naturally not comparable to what you’d get in those cities. Although most essential facilities are available here, the internet has been a constant challenge.

PTCL offers a maximum package of 12 Mbps in our area, which costs us around PKR 4000 a month (roughly 66 STEEM at the current exchange rate). The package is expensive, but its only benefit is that it’s unlimited. Even then, the Fair Usage Policy (FUP) limits the data to 1000 GB, though this is practically unlimited for us because our usage has never reached that level. However, the biggest problem is the upload speed, which is just 1 Mbps. Below is a screenshot showing the current upload and download speeds I tested today.

Recently, a friend suggested me that I should try Zong 4G BOLT device because the speeds are much better. A couple of days ago, I purchased the Zong 4G BOLT device for PKR 6,000 (around 100 STEEM). The shopkeeper told me it’s an unlocked device, meaning I can use SIM cards from other networks as well. Hearing this, I was even more excited because I could test other networks on it too.

When I tested it at home with a Zong 4G SIM, I was amazed to see how fast it was, especially considering I live in a relatively backward area. Surprisingly, the same Zong SIM, when used in my phone, didn’t provide such speeds. I’ve been using the device for two days now, and so far, it hasn’t disappointed me. Yes, the speed drops slightly during peak hours, but it still stays above 25 Mbps, and the upload speed is phenomenal. Below is a screenshot of the speed test I just performed.

I also found a decent monthly package on the Easypaisa app, which I purchased for the device. It cost me PKR 1,900 (about 31 STEEM).

Alhamdulillah, my internet issue is now mostly resolved. However, I’m not planning to cancel my PTCL connection just yet. I’m considering downgrading it to a 6 Mbps package to reduce costs. That way, I’ll have a backup option in case Zong faces any issues. What do you think—does this sound like a good plan? Or do you have other suggestions for me? Let me know in the comments!

Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention—I’m not the only one using the internet at home. There are four users in total.

PS: I’d love to hear about your internet experiences and speeds. I’m sharing a link below where you can test your internet speed and share your results with me.

https://www.speedtest.net/

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^{Author: @waqarahmadshah | Date: 22-Nov-2024 | Achievement 1}