Zong has launched Z HomeFi, which it proudly calls Pakistan’s first 5G home broadband service. The entry plan offers 10 Mbps and 100GB of data for Rs 4,500 per month.
Zong’s own 5G trials recorded speeds above 1.4 Gbps. Yet the company is selling 10 Mbps to consumers and calling it 5G. That means roughly 99.3% of the tested speed vanished before reaching the product.
Here is how Z HomeFi compares to existing broadband and mobile data options across Pakistan, using PTA tariff data:
| Provider | Type | Speed | Data | Monthly Price | Rs/GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zong Z HomeFi | 5G FWA | 10 Mbps | 100GB | Rs 4,500 | ~45 |
| Zong Z HomeFi | 5G FWA | 50 Mbps | 100GB | Rs 7,500 | ~75 |
| Zong Z HomeFi | 5G FWA | 50 Mbps | 500GB | Rs 11,000 | ~22 |
| PTCL | FTTH | 40 Mbps | 2,500GB | Rs 3,350 | ~1.34 |
| PTCL | FTTH | 100 Mbps | 4,000GB | Rs 6,900 | ~1.73 |
| Optix | FTTH | 100 Mbps | FUP | Rs 4,656 | — |
| StormFiber | FTTH | 100 Mbps | — | Rs 7,399 | — |
| PTCL | DSL | 10 Mbps | Unlimited | Rs 2,999 | — |
| Telenor | Mobile | — | 130GB/15 days | Rs 1,043 | ~8 |
| Jazz | Mobile | — | 10GB/15 days | Rs 869 | ~87 |
The table speaks for itself. PTCL offers 40 Mbps fibre with 2.5 TB of data for Rs 3,350. That is four times the speed and 25 times more data for Rs 1,150 less than Zong’s entry plan. Even PTCL’s 100 Mbps fibre at Rs 6,900 with 4 TB dwarfs Zong’s 50 Mbps tier at Rs 7,500 with just 100GB.
The value gap extends beyond fibre. Telenor offers 130GB for Rs 1,043 on its 15 Day Extreme mobile package, which works out to roughly Rs 8 per GB. Zong’s own 5G home broadband costs Rs 45 per GB. So a 5G broadband connection somehow costs over five times more per GB than a competitor’s mobile data bundle.
Z HomeFi offers 12 prepaid bundles from 10 Mbps to 50 Mbps, with data caps from 100GB to 500GB. None include unlimited data. However, when users exhaust their quota, the connection cuts off entirely. Zong sends alerts at 50%, 80%, and 100% usage, but those do not prevent the cutoff. Customers also need a 5G device priced at Rs 22,000, pushing the first month to Rs 26,500.
The service covers Pakistan’s top 10 cities, though Zong has not specified which ones. Zong Head of Marketing Sajid Munir said “the true value of technology is measured by how it improves people’s everyday lives.” At Rs 45 per GB on a service branded as 5G, that claim faces a serious credibility problem.
Z HomeFi’s only advantage is portability in areas without fibre. But for anyone with access to PTCL, StormFiber, or Optix, this 5G service offers less speed, less data, and higher prices than what already exists. Pakistan’s telecom market already struggles with affordability. Adding overpriced 5G broadband to that landscape does not exactly scream progress.