Check If Your Internet Provider Is PTA Licensed in Pakistan, Free

Short answer: PTA publishes the names of licensed internet companies on its "List of Operators" page as downloadable lists. Look for your provider by its company name, its licence number and your district. A provider that is not on the lists may be running without a licence, and PTA warns that such services can be cut off suddenly.

The local cable man who offers 20 Mbps for Rs 1,500 may be perfectly honest. He may also be running a network PTA has never licensed. You cannot tell from the router or the bill, but you can tell from PTA's lists.

We downloaded four PTA licence lists on 12 October 2026 and read the district internet list in full. It is a free check and takes about five minutes.

PTA's lists show who holds a licence

PTA's List of Operators page links one downloadable file for each licence type. For a home internet company, three are useful: the class licence for internet services at district level, the fixed local loop (FLL) list and the CVAS list. A fourth names licensed VPN providers.

The district list names 103 small providers

The district-level file we opened lists 103 class licences, all numbered with 2026, such as Class/Internet/01/2026/Attock. Each row gives the company name, licence number, grant date, expiry date, district, service type and commencement status.

The licences run ten years. PTA's release of 1 January 2026 says the initial fee is Rs 300,000, with an annual fee of Rs 100,000 for the first year. Our guide on applying for a PTA district internet licence covers the process from the company's side, and where the first licences went shows which areas gained providers.

One limit matters. This list holds licences granted in 2026. A provider that got its licence under an older route sits in another file, so a name missing here is a reason to check the next list, not proof of a problem.

How to check a provider in five steps

Take the exact company name from your bill or agreement, then search each list for that name and your district. Match three things: the name, the licence number and the expiry date. If one is missing or expired, ask the company for its licence number in writing.

1. Write down the company's full legal name from your bill, receipt or agreement, not the brand on the van.
2. Open PTA's "List of Operators" page under Licensing and download the district, FLL and CVAS files.
3. Search each file for the name. Names often carry "(Pvt.) Ltd" or "SMC-Pvt." after them.
4. Check the district column against where you live, and the expiry date against today.
5. If the name is absent, ask the company for its PTA licence number and check that number in the files.

What the commencement column means for you

The FLL and district files carry a commencement status column showing whether PTA has issued a commencement certificate. A company can hold a licence and still show "Not Issued". We do not know what that means for its current service, so ask the company.

In the FLL file, a single company can appear on many rows, one for each telecom region, so do not count rows as companies. Region codes such as FTR, HTR or CTR stand for PTA's telecom regions.

A listed company is not a promise of good service. For speed, contract and billing rights, read what PTA's standard ISP contract gives you and whether you get 80 percent of the speed you pay for.

Why an unlicensed provider is a risk

PTA's release of 24 August 2026 describes a raid in Lahore with the FIA on a company running without a licence, in which switches and fibre equipment were seized. PTA urged the public to use only licensed operators to avoid sudden disruption or discontinuation of service.

That is the practical risk for you: the line may be cut with no notice and no regulator route for your complaint. We covered the wider action in PTA and FIA shutting down unlicensed ISPs.

If you find that your provider is not listed, you can report it on PTA's consumer helpline, 0800-55055. Move your connection only when you have a licensed alternative ready, and compare prices first with PTCL, Nayatel and StormFiber and PTA's price list for 8 companies.

Common questions

Where does PTA publish licensed internet companies?

On its "List of Operators" page under Licensing, as downloadable files. We found separate files for district internet licences, fixed local loop, CVAS and VPN providers.

Is a company missing from the list always illegal?

Not always. It may sit in a different file, or hold a licence under another name. Ask the company for its licence number and check that number.

How long does a district internet licence last?

PTA's release says ten years. The first-year annual fee is Rs 100,000 and later years rise by 10 percent each year.

Can I check a VPN company the same way?

Yes. PTA lists licensed VPN service providers in its own file on the same page. Our guide on registering a VPN in Pakistan covers the separate registration step.

Does a licence guarantee good speed?

No. A licence only shows PTA has authorised the company to operate. Speed and billing rights come from the contract and PTA's quality rules.

What if my internet stops because the company was raided?

Ask the company in writing for a refund of unused days, and keep proof of payment. We found no PTA rule that guarantees a refund from an unlicensed provider.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 12 October 2026. Lists are from PTA's List of Operators page. The licence terms and fees come from PTA's press release of 1 January 2026, and the raid from its release of 24 August 2026. We read the district file in full, but only sampled the FLL and CVAS files. Lists are updated by PTA from time to time.