Why don’t we have phone plans in Pakistan?

Envision this: you're yearning for a sleek new phone, but unlike the rest of the world, you can't just snag it on a monthly plan. No, you and I are forced to confront the grim reality of coughing up the full price upfront, or settling for a dinosaur. It’s hard to shake off the nagging feeling that something's amiss. Why are we being denied the same privileges as others?

The bitter truth is that our industry is caught in a paradoxical situation that echoes the notorious Prisoner's Dilemma in game theory. This ageless enigma illustrates how rational choices can lead to catastrophic outcomes. It involves two prisoners, isolated and unable to communicate. They're faced with a choice — cooperate or betray. Cooperation reaps the greatest reward, but betrayal is often chosen. Here's the twist — acting in their own self-interests doesn't produce the best outcome.

It's the ultimate example of how communication, rather than isolation, can lead to mutual benefits. This dilemma has confounded economists and philosophers for years. It's arduous to find a direct manifestation of this, but Profit might have just found one. And it may just explain why we can't get a phone on a contract like our friends overseas.