Pakistan’s digital future hangs in the balance, as policymakers, regulators, and global experts gathered at the GSMA Digital Nation Summit 2025 in Islamabad to assess the country’s readiness to transition into a regional digital powerhouse.
Hosted by GSMA, in collaboration with the Ministry of IT & Telecom (MoITT) and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the summit served as both a celebration of progress and a sobering reminder of the roadblocks that still stand in the way of true transformation.
Delivering a keynote address, PTA Chairman Major General (Retd.) Hafeez ur Rehman reiterated the regulator’s commitment to building a secure, inclusive, and connected Digital Pakistan. He outlined critical initiatives such as harmonizing telecom tariffs with international benchmarks and implementing a national Right of Way (RoW) framework. These steps, he said, have already begun removing long-standing barriers to fiber optic deployment, enabling broader network expansion across the country.
Chairman PTA also stressed that affordable internet access is no longer a luxury, it is a strategic necessity for socio-economic progress. He called for accelerated spectrum allocation and swift 5G rollout, declaring them national priorities that must not be delayed any further.
The summit’s most pivotal moment came when Julian Gorman, GSMA’s Head of Asia Pacific, launched a detailed report titled “Unlocking Pakistan’s Digital Potential: Reform, Trust and Opportunity.” The findings were striking. While 68% of Pakistan’s population owns a smartphone, only 29% actually use mobile internet, creating a 52% usage gap the largest in Asia Pacific. Gorman described this as a significant missed opportunity, warning that unless urgent reforms are made, Pakistan risks falling behind in the race toward digital prosperity.
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According to the report, Pakistan suffers from one of the lowest IMT spectrum allocations in the region, with its much-anticipated 5G auction still in limbo. The high cost of spectrum in the country, which has seen prices triple across Asia Pacific since 2014, remains unaffordably steep for many operators, discouraging investment and stunting coverage and network speeds.
These spectrum pricing issues are compounded by a 33% tax burden on mobile usage and devices currently the highest in the region which has made mobile services prohibitively expensive for large segments of the population.
Gorman emphasized that these structural issues are not just policy missteps they are economic and social barriers. With 81% of the population living within broadband coverage areas, the fact that over half still do not use mobile internet reflects not just affordability issues, but also digital illiteracy, lack of trust, and gender disparities. While there has been commendable progress such as an increase in women’s mobile internet usage from 33% to 45% in the past year, Gorman cautioned that without targeted and systemic efforts, these gains will remain fragile.
He also highlighted the growing concern over digital fraud and scams, which are undermining public confidence in online platforms. While Pakistan’s participation in GSMA’s Anti-Scam Taskforce (ACAST) is a step in the right direction, Gorman noted that the framework must be scaled up and paired with robust public education to be truly effective.
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From a broader policy standpoint, Gorman’s message was unequivocal, Pakistan has the passion, the talent, and the potential to lead, but it is being held back by outdated frameworks and inconsistent policy execution. He urged the government to adopt a multi-year spectrum roadmap, enable spectrum sharing and trading, and align tax and regulatory structures with regional best practices. He also encouraged the rapid deployment of GSMA’s Open Gateway APIs, the adoption of “always-on” network policies, and the creation of a more tech-neutral and innovation-friendly environment to support emerging technologies like 5G, AI, and IoT.
Addressing the summit, Federal Minister for IT & Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja expressed confidence in the country’s digital direction, highlighting the government’s ongoing efforts under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. She pointed to recent achievements such as the 14% improvement in ITU’s ICT Development Index, the launch of AI-powered data centers and cloud infrastructure, and the deployment of fiber optic connectivity to over 500 underserved areas. With 40 tech parks now operational and 17 telecom infrastructure projects underway, she described Pakistan as “not just adapting to the digital era—but shaping it with clarity and precision.”
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Yet even as she outlined this progress, the summit made it clear that the true leap forward will only come with bold policy action. Gorman closed his remarks with a pointed comparison, noting that other Asia Pacific countries like Vietnam and India have seen transformative results thanks to top-down policy commitment and swift reform. He urged Pakistan’s leadership to follow suit and avoid the fate of falling irreversibly behind.
“Asia Pacific is racing ahead in 5G, IoT, and AI. Pakistan has the vision and capacity to lead, but that promise will remain unfulfilled unless we act decisively. This report offers a clear roadmap,” Gorman concluded. “The time to act is now.”
