Two things surprise almost everyone on a first trip north. The first is that the SIM card you bought at Islamabad airport stops working somewhere around Chilas. The second is that the electricity is not continuous, and nobody mentions it because locally it is unremarkable.
Neither is a problem once you know. Both are irritating if you find out on day four.
The short answer
- Gilgit-Baltistan runs on SCOM, a regional network. Jazz, Zong, Telenor and Ufone barely work there.
- Buy a SCOM SIM in Gilgit or Skardu, not at the airport, where it is generally not sold.
- Foreign passports can buy SIMs, but it takes a shop visit and a biometric scan, not a vending machine.
- Hotel wifi in Hunza and Skardu is usable; in side valleys it is decorative.
- Bring two power banks. Electricity is intermittent almost everywhere north of Gilgit.
- There is no signal at all on the trekking routes. Plan for that rather than around it.
Why your airport SIM stops working
Pakistan's big networks — Jazz, Zong, Telenor, Ufone — cover the country as far as the mountains and then largely stop. Gilgit-Baltistan is served by SCOM, a Special Communications Organization network that operates where the commercial carriers found no business case.
The practical consequence is that a tourist who buys a Jazz SIM on arrival has good data in Islamabad, patchy data on the Karakoram Highway, and effectively nothing from Gilgit onwards. There is some Zong coverage in Gilgit and Skardu towns and it is unreliable.
So the pattern that works is: buy a mainstream SIM at the airport for your days in Islamabad, then buy a SCOM SIM when you reach Gilgit or Skardu. Both are inexpensive. Our guides will take you to a shop that does it in ten minutes.
Getting a SIM as a foreigner
You will need your passport and your fingerprints. Registration is biometric and done in the shop, and it is genuinely quick — the delay, when there is one, is the queue rather than the process.
- Bring your passport and your visa page.
- Go to an official franchise shop, not a roadside stall. Your guide will know which.
- Fingerprint scan on the spot, tied to your passport.
- Buy a data bundle at the same time; monthly packages are a few hundred rupees.
- Test it before you leave the shop. This is the step people skip and regret.
A SIM sometimes takes a few hours to activate. If it is not working by evening, go back — it is usually a bundle that was not applied rather than a fault.
Where you will actually have signal
| Where | Signal | Practical reality |
|---|---|---|
| Islamabad | All networks, 4G | Fully connected |
| Karakoram Highway to Chilas | Mainstream networks | Fine, with dead stretches |
| Gilgit town | SCOM, some Zong | Calls and data work |
| Karimabad, Hunza | SCOM, hotel wifi | Usable, video calls sometimes |
| Skardu town | SCOM, hotel wifi | Usable |
| Passu, Khunjerab, Deosai | Patchy to none | Assume none |
| Shigar, Khaplu | Weak SCOM | Messages, not calls |
| Any trekking route | None | Satellite only |
On trek, there is nothing
From the moment you leave the road on the Baltoro, Nanga Parbat or any other route, there is no mobile coverage of any kind. Our trekking and expedition parties carry satellite check-in devices, and the daily message that goes out from them is how the office knows where everyone is.
If someone at home needs to hear from you on a fixed schedule, tell us before departure and we will build it into the day. What you should not do is promise a partner a call from Concordia.
Electricity
North of Gilgit, mains power is intermittent. Hotels run generators or solar, and most have power for the evening and overnight, but daytime cuts are normal and a whole-day outage is not unusual in winter or after a storm.
- Two power banks, 20,000 mAh or more, charged whenever you can.
- A multi-socket extension — rooms often have one working outlet and four people.
- Type C and D sockets, 230 V. A European two-pin plug fits most of them.
- Solar chargers are worth it on trek and pointless in hotels.
- Charge overnight, not in the afternoon.
Camera batteries are the thing people run out of. Cold flattens them faster than you expect, and there is nowhere above Skardu to buy more.
VPNs, apps and the practical bits
WhatsApp is how Pakistan communicates, including us — it is how most of our enquiries arrive and how your guide will reach you. WhatsApp voice and video calls have been restricted at various times in Pakistan and the situation changes; text and voice notes have consistently worked.
Download offline maps before you travel. Maps.me or Google Maps offline areas for Gilgit-Baltistan will do more for you than any amount of data, because the places you most want a map are the places with no signal.
What we do about it
Every trip carries a 24-hour line answered from the office, and your guide has a working local number throughout. On remote sections we carry satellite devices and file a daily check-in. If your family wants a point of contact who will actually answer, give them the office number — someone is there from 9am to 11pm Pakistan time, seven days a week, and the emergency line runs outside those hours.
Frequently asked questions
Which SIM card works in Gilgit-Baltistan?
SCOM is the only network with meaningful coverage across Gilgit-Baltistan. Jazz, Zong, Telenor and Ufone work as far as Chilas and then largely stop. Buy a mainstream SIM at the airport for Islamabad and a SCOM SIM once you reach Gilgit or Skardu.
Can tourists buy a SIM card in Pakistan?
Yes. Take your passport and visa page to an official franchise shop. Registration is biometric — a fingerprint scan done in the shop — and takes about ten minutes. Test the SIM before you leave the shop.
Is there wifi in Hunza and Skardu?
Hotels in Karimabad and Skardu generally have usable wifi, adequate for messaging and email and sometimes for video calls. In side valleys such as Passu, Shigar and Khaplu it is weak or absent. On trekking routes there is no connectivity at all.
Is there mobile signal on the K2 Base Camp trek?
No. There is no mobile coverage on the Baltoro or any other trekking route in the Karakoram. Our parties carry satellite check-in devices and file a daily message to the office, which is the only reliable contact from the glacier.
What plug type does Pakistan use?
Type C and Type D sockets at 230 V. A standard European two-pin plug fits most outlets. Bring a multi-socket extension, because rooms in the north often have a single working outlet.
Our itineraries say where you will and will not have signal, and every trip carries a 24-hour line and satellite check-in on remote sections.
See our trips