Leading Digital Telco Innovation in the Middle East with onic's Success

In just one year, onic, a partnership between e& International, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), and Circles, has set benchmarks for an end-to-end digital customer lifestyle experience, from seamless onboarding and intuitive mobile app experiences to exceptional customer service, frictionless payments and continuous engagement

Built a compelling product proposition for high-data users

onic offers the perfect solution for Pakistan's digital natives: high-data plans with prepaid-like flexibility. Designed to adapt to changing needs, such as increased social media use during semester breaks, onic empowers users to constantly stay seamlessly connected.

Craft seamless, 100% digital telco experiences

onic's customers can be fully onboarded online from the comfort of their home. The payment experiences are fully digital with PIN-less wallet journeys and auto-renewal options.

All this has built onic up as a well-loved brand by the country's digital natives with the following achievements

Named Best Mobile App and Digital Ambassador of the Year at the Pakistan Digital Awards 2024'

100% digital payments adoption and high onboarding rates by onic users

97% Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and 5.2 Customer Effort Score (CES)

98% of onic's customers are monthly onic app users

2 to 3 times higher Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) compared to the market average

Discover how onic has built trust in a cash-driven economy and became Pakistan's first fully digital telco brand for young Pakistanis.

1onic sets Groundbreaking Telecom Benchmarks With Digital Connectivity

How Can Telcos Build Trust in Markets Where Cash on Delivery Dominates and Digital Payments Are Limited?

This was the challenge faced by e& International, PTCL and Circles when they came together to launch onic, a bold new digital venture designed to transform Pakistan's telco sector.

This collaboration brought together e& International and PTCL's deep market expertise with Circles' full-stack, cloud-native SaaS platform and global leadership in telco digital transformation. Their shared vision was to create a breakthrough telco brand in the Middle East that overcomes traditional industry barriers and resonates with today's consumers.

Pakistan, with its rapidly growing digital-native population and strong demand for innovative digital services, emerged as the ideal launchpad to develop a compelling a case study in the Middle East. Together, e& International, Circles and PTCL crafted a lifestyle brand specifically designed to meet the needs and aspirations of Pakistan's tech-savvy youth.

"onic has distinguished itself as a remarkable milestone in digital innovation. It has become a vibrant success, demonstrating the power of PTCL and Ufone, to truly transform digital experiences for our customers.

We've crafted a digital brand that transcends traditional telecom, with aspirations to expand into fintech, e-commerce, and beyond. Our steadfast commitment to customer trust and satisfaction fuels every step, positioning onic as more than a service—it's a digital companion enhancing daily life of our customers across Pakistan and paving the way for an empowered digital future."

Hatem Bamatraf

President and Group CEO,
PTCL & Ufone

Disrupting a Cash-First Market

In Pakistan's telco landscape, traditional mobile operators face several challenges when transforming digitally.

1

80% rely on Cash on Delivery (COD)

80% of consumers relying on Cash on Delivery (COD), digital payments were slow to gain traction.

2

Lack of access to flexible, data-rich mobile plans

Despite high smartphone penetration, Pakistan's digital natives and youths-lacked access to flexible, data-rich mobile plans.

3

Dominated by two major operator hampered by legacy systems and infrastructure

Pakistan's telco market has also been heavily concentrated, with two major operators controlling 67% of the market, hampered by legacy systems and infrastructure that resisted digital transformation.

In this complex environment, onic emerged as a bold disruptor by creating fully digital experiences. Leveraging Circles' expertise in creating well-loved digital brands and e& International and PTCL's market leadership, onic empowered users to manage all aspects of their mobile experience through its onic app—from selecting plans and making payments to activating eSIMs and accessing instant support.

The onic app contains an app-based dashboard that offers flexible, high-data plans tailored to the lifestyles of digital natives. It also delivers 10-second customer service response times, which ensures quick issue resolution and enhances user satisfaction.

Through the onic app, users can seamlessly select a plan, activate their SIM or eSIM in 5 minutes, and receive instant support from the comfort of their homes.

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To receive and activate their SIM card, onic provides customers with a white-glove delivery service. Customers can receive their SIM cards and activate them instantly through the biometric verification device that the rider brings with them, highlighting the convenience of onic’s onboarding experience.

Matthew Willsher

Chairman
e& International Digital JV

"Our customers spend two to three times more money than the average consumer. They also cite the brand as a key reason for choosing onic."

By embracing an entirely digital experience, onic not only simplifies connectivity but also tackles Pakistan's cash-first mindset by showing the convenience and security of end-to-end digital customer experiences.

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Faced with numerous market challenges at the start, onic did not just adapt but innovated, crafting digital-first solutions tailored to Pakistan's emerging digital generation’s need for flexibility, convenience, and control over their mobile experiences.

John McEvoy

Chief Executive Officer
e& International Digital JV

"Every decision we make is based on our customer requirements. We don't make decisions based on what we think we would like to launch, but what the customer needs now and in the future."

onic's Winning Formula:

Trust, Flexible Data Plans, and Digital Adoption

onic's Winning Formula: Trust, Flexible Data Plans, Digital Adoption, Iterative Product Launches and and Extensive Partnerships

In a market where cash is king, onic focused on making significant strides in digital adoption to create efficient and seamless experiences. With seamless, PIN-less wallet journeys and auto-renewal options, 100 percent of onic's customer payments are digital.

Providing a compelling offer was equally vital. Pakistan's digital natives want high data plans with the flexibility to match their needs each month, which was why many originally turned to prepaid plans. To address this, onic provided a compelling product proposition to meet their needs through high data plans with prepaid-like flexibility.

Additionally, onic stood out among customers for its rapid iterative product launches and strategic digital partnerships. Leveraging Circles platform, onic has rolled out new features and enhancements swiftly to keep pace with evolving customer needs. Recognizing that consumers are drawn to lifestyle offerings, onic formed partnerships with leading brands like Careem, Foodpanda, and Golootlo, delivering lifestyle benefits that extend far beyond traditional telecom services and creating holistic, engaging customer experiences.

By putting customers first and empowering users to take control of their mobile experiences, onic fostered a sense of independence and trust, making customers feel valued and understood. This approach achieved the following wins:

2-3×

ARPU Growth

outperforming the industry standard

100%

Digital Payment Adoption

in a cash dominated market

56%

Ads Digital Share

compared to just 1% market average

17%

eSIM Adoption

far surpassing the 1-3% market average

15

Digital Partnerships

formed since onic's  launch in 2023

100+

Key Product Features

launched since 2023

However, technology was only part of the equation; onic knew building genuine trust required a deeper cultural connection.

Connecting Through Culture

onic knew that to resonate with Pakistan's digital natives truly, it had to be more than just a telco—it had to be a brand that is part of their everyday lives. By tapping into national pride and popular culture, onic was able to build deep emotional connections with the people of Pakistan.

With marketing campaigns featuring beloved cricketers and collaborations with popular YouTubers, onic demonstrated a deep understanding of what resonates most with youths' passions and lifestyles. These cultural touchpoints boosted brand visibility and made onic feel familiar, trusted and relevant to the young Pakistanis it was designed to serve.

onic's cultural relevance was pivotal in building trust and embedding the brand in the daily lives of young Pakistanis.

By resonating with the values and aspirations of its audience, onic became a well-loved digital brand and successfully drove digital adoption in a market that has traditionally been cautious about embracing new technologies. Customers have embraced Pakistan's first truly digital proposition, with 98 percent of onic's customers using onic's app monthly.

This approach went beyond feel-good marketing—it delivered tangible results and metrics that set onic apart from other telcos.

29 M

Digital Media
earned

1.3 M

Social Media
reach

1.3 M

Social Media reach

29M

Digital Media earned

onic showcased a powerful montage at One Times Square, New York, to rally behind the Pakistani cricket team in their highly anticipated T20 World Cup 2024 match against India

The Future of Telco:
onic's Blueprint for MENASA Expansion

onic's success in navigating Pakistan's low-digital-trust environment presents an opportunity for expansion into other Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) countries with similar market dynamics.

Leveraging Circles digital operator expertise, full-stack software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, and agile go-to-market practices, telcos can transform from service providers to a digital lifestyle hub.

Powered by OpenAPls, onic has also provided different digital lifestyle offers for users from partners like Foodpanda for food deliveries and Careem for online shopping, transportation, and more.

By offering personalized, data-driven experiences that can foster long-term loyalty, onic has powered a crucial shift in markets where traditional services are increasingly commoditized.

onic's story show s that by embracing a customer-centric, digital-first model and connecting deeply with local culture, telcos can thrive in an evolving digital landscape and differentiate themselves as lifestyle brands that build strong emotional connections with their customers.

"Customer obsession, or "happiness" as we call it, is at the core of everything we do at Circles. We are relentlessly focused on understanding their needs and delivering experiences that go beyond expectations. This approach has driven successes in our own operator markets, which we leverage in our partnership with global telcos like e& International to build, operate and launch digital brands like onic"

Adeel Najam

Co-founder, Circles

Key Takeaways From onic For Global Telcos

The success of onic offers actionable insights for telcos looking to transform and thrive in challenging markets by embracing digital-first strategies, understanding the local culture and fostering deep emotional connections with customers.

1

Go Digital First

Meet modern consumer expectations by prioritizing online channels, self-service options, and user-friendly mobile apps.

2

Build Trust Through Service

Establish trust by offering reliable service, transparent pricing, and responsive customer support.

3

Connect Local with Culture

Deepen customer relations by aligning with local cultural values through targeted campaigns and community engagement.

4

Embrace Saas Platforms

Leverage the agility and scalability of SaaS platforms to adapt to market changes and deliver innovative services.

5

Target Digital Natives

Capture the valuable youth market by offering data-rich plans and digital-first experiences tailored to their needs.

"At onic, we have learnt that building a truly digital-first, beloved brand goes beyond technology. It is about delivering seamless, user-centric experiences that resonate with local culture and values. By prioritizing flexibility, trust, innovation and creating lifestyle offerings that go beyond telco, we have successfully cultivated deep, lasting connections with our customers."

Omer Bin Tariq

Country Head,  onic Pakistan

The Path Forward for Future-Ready Telcos

e& international and PTCL's partnership with Circles has set a new benchmark for telcos in MENASA and globally , proving that a customer-first, digital-first model is critical to thriving in rapidly evolving markets. By partnering with Circles to transform from mere service providers to lifestyle brands with a distinct identity, like e& international and PTCL did with onic, telcos can build long-term loyalty, differentiate themselves, and drive growth in even the most challenging markets.

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