ISLAMABAD (Web Desk): Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja has said that the regulatory framework for satellite internet services in Pakistan is in its final stages and will be finalised soon after consultations with the relevant institutions are completed.
Addressing the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Symposium, the federal minister said the government would provide a favourable business environment in Pakistan to companies investing in satellite internet services.
Shaza Fatima said that, according to the global mobile operators’ association, Pakistan had made rapid progress over the past two years in narrowing the gender gap in mobile internet use. The gap between male and female mobile internet users in the country has declined from 38 per cent to 8 per cent.
She said three new submarine internet cables had been installed in Pakistan over the past two-and-a-half years, while work was underway on alternative connections and new cable routes to further improve international internet connectivity.
According to the federal minister, more than 17,000 kilometres of optical fibre have been laid across the country through the Universal Service Fund. The number of households with access to fibre broadband, which was below three million in 2024, has now exceeded five million. Similarly, the proportion of mobile towers connected to optical fibre has increased from below 15 per cent to more than 19 per cent.
Shaza Fatima said the government had set a target of connecting at least 60 per cent of mobile towers to optical fibre. She added that Pakistan introduced fifth-generation mobile technology for the first time in March 2026 through the auction of 480 megahertz of radio frequency spectrum. Connecting mobile towers to optical fibre is essential for the effective delivery of this technology.
She further said local entrepreneurs were being offered opportunities to provide district-level internet services through CVAS licences. Work was also underway on new business models to engage local residents in providing internet services in rural areas.
According to the federal minister, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chairs a review meeting every fortnight to assess progress on the National Connectivity Plan, which aims to improve digital connectivity and internet services throughout the country.
Shaza Fatima revealed that more than 10 million people in Pakistan had received fuel subsidies through a technology-based system. She said the requirement to own a smartphone had deliberately been waived to ensure that as many citizens as possible could benefit from the facility.
She noted that approximately 2.2 billion people worldwide still lacked internet access, while nearly 48 per cent of the Asia-Pacific population remained without connectivity, a proportion higher than the global average.
The federal minister stressed that digital connectivity was no longer a convenience available to a limited number of people but had become a fundamental necessity for education, healthcare, disaster management, economic development and national security. She said the government aimed to expand internet access, strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure and broaden opportunities for citizens to benefit from modern technology.