Pakistan’s digital economy gaining strength, says GSMA

The global mobile operators’ organisation, GSMA has released its “Digital Pakistan 2030” report, stating that Pakistan’s digital economy is being built on strong foundations.

The report stressed that further investment in cyber security, data governance, artificial intelligence, fibre networks, cloud services and data centres, along with the availability of affordable smartphones, is essential for sustainable growth.

GSMA Head of Asia Pacific Julian Gorman, while launching the report in Islamabad, said Pakistan had made progress in digital governance and federal and provincial governments deserved appreciation for efforts to digitise public services.

He said affordable smartphone access for every citizen was necessary for the effective use of digital services. He added that the main challenge was not only network availability but also the high cost of smartphones, lack of digital skills, internet affordability and social barriers.

Julian Gorman said Pakistan needed to increase investment in fibre networks, cloud services, data centres and energy infrastructure to prepare for an artificial intelligence-based economy. He said the goal of Digital Pakistan could only be achieved through joint cooperation between the government, industry, regulators and development partners.

The GSMA official presented five recommendations for Digital Pakistan 2030, including increasing space for telecom investment, improving digital inclusion among women and rural communities, preparing for an artificial intelligence-based economy, strengthening cyber security and data governance, and adopting a coordinated strategy between the federal government, provinces, regulators and the private sector.

The report stated that Pakistan’s biggest achievement was the significant rise in women’s digital inclusion. Women’s mobile internet access increased from 45 per cent to 53 per cent in one year, while the mobile internet gender gap fell from 25 per cent to 8 per cent.

The GSMA report said spectrum reforms had improved the environment for telecom investment, while the telecom sector contributed around Rs278 billion in taxes and fees to the national treasury in 2025. However, it warned that higher taxes and regulatory burdens could slow the pace of 5G and network investment.