Pakistan Records Third‑Lowest Broadband Speed in South Asia

Pakistan’s digital connectivity landscape faces critical challenges, with the country recording some of the lowest fixed and mobile broadband speeds in South Asia, coupled with prohibitive costs that far exceed international affordability benchmarks. According to the World Bank’s Pakistan Development Update: Reimagining a Digital Pakistan, entry-level fixed broadband packages in Pakistan consume 11.1 percent of average monthly gross national income (GNI) per capita—more than five times the 2 percent affordability threshold set by the International Telecommunication Union. Mobile broadband prices, while relatively lower at 1.8 percent of GNI per capita, remain beyond the financial reach of Pakistan’s poorest and those in rural communities. These economic and infrastructural barriers have stymied the nation’s digital ambitions, leaving it trailing regional peers in broadband deployment, speed, and coverage.

Pakistan’s Broadband Speed: Current Landscape and Key Findings

1. Broadband Speeds and Costs

   • Fixed broadband speeds average 16 Mbps, ranking Pakistan third lowest among South Asian nations. In contrast, the median district sees merely 8 Mbps, while metropolitan centers like Karachi and Islamabad enjoy speeds nearly double that average.

   • Mobile broadband speeds stand at 20 Mbps, also the third lowest in the region.

   • Fixed broadband affordability is a pressing issue: at 11.1 percent of monthly GNI per capita, it substantially outpaces the ITU’s 2 percent benchmark. Mobile packages, costing 1.8 percent, may appear within limits but exclude low-income and rural users whose incomes and service quality remain low.

2. Infrastructure Gaps

   • Pakistan is among three South Asian countries without any commercial 5G coverage. The report attributes it to insufficient fibre-optic networks, low tower density, and limited use-case viability for operators to justify 5G investments.

   • At the current rate of fixed broadband roll‑out, it would take Pakistan approximately 30 years to achieve levels of connectivity comparable with high‑income countries.

   • An International Finance Corporation study finds Pakistan lags behind a peer group—Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines—by around 5.1 million Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) lines. Bridging 50 percent of this gap by 2027 would require an average annual investment of US $2.5 billion in fixed broadband infrastructure.

3. Coverage and Usage Gaps

   • Only 33 percent of Pakistan’s population reported internet usage in 2022, reflecting very low digital penetration.

   • Pakistan has the third-largest broadband usage gap globally: some 140 million people live within mobile broadband reach yet do not use the internet.

   • Approximately 17 percent of the population remains beyond any mobile broadband coverage. Pakistan’s 3G and 4G population coverage rates—74.9 percent and 83.6 percent, respectively—trail the South Asia averages of 88.1 percent and 90.9 percent.

   • Despite 4G accounting for two‑thirds of mobile connections, roughly one‑third of users remain on legacy 2G networks.

4. Supply-Side and Demand-Side Barriers

   • On the supply side, slow fiber-optic deployment, limited tower infrastructure, and lack of viable business cases hamper service expansion.

   • Demand-side barriers include low literacy and digital skills, restrictive social norms, and affordability issues for low-income and rural households, exacerbating the digital divide.

Closing the digital divide and expanding access to digital services require targeted legal and regulatory reforms, increased private investment, and the development of key digital infrastructure. Strengthening secure digital identification systems, enhancing digital payment platforms, and improving coordination between federal and provincial authorities are crucial in building an inclusive and efficient digital ecosystem.

said Shahbaz Khan, co‑author of the report

Future Impact and Policy Implications

The World Bank report underscores that without decisive action, Pakistan risks further entrenching socio‑economic disparities. High broadband costs and sluggish infrastructure investments will continue to limit education, healthcare, e‑commerce, and other digital services critical for economic growth. To alter this trajectory, the report recommends:

1. Regulatory and Legal Reforms

   • Spectrum allocation: Accelerate licensing and auctioning of spectrum suitable for 4G and 5G to incentivize private sector investment.

   • Cross-border fibre: Facilitate regional fibre-optic connectivity to lower costs and improve redundancy.

2. Targeted Public Investment

   • Prioritize public–private partnerships to fund FTTH rollouts in underserved areas.

   • Establish a Digital Infrastructure Fund seeded by government and donor capital to subsidize fiber and tower deployments.

3. Enhancing Affordability

   • Implement subsidies or tiered pricing models for low‑income and rural users.

   • Leverage universal service funds to reduce subscription costs and expand coverage.

4. Digital Skills and Inclusion

   • Launch nationwide digital literacy campaigns, focusing on women and rural communities.

   • Integrate digital skills training into school and vocational curricula.

5. Strengthening Digital Ecosystem

   • Develop robust e‑identity frameworks to streamline online transactions and government services.

   • Enhance digital payment infrastructure to support e‑commerce and fintech growth.

   • Foster coordination between federal and provincial governments to ensure aligned policies and efficient resource allocation.

Conclusion

Pakistan’s connectivity challenges are multifaceted, spanning economic, infrastructural, and socio‑cultural dimensions. The World Bank’s “Reimagining a Digital Pakistan” report presents a clarion call for immediate and coordinated efforts—from regulatory reform and public investments to digital literacy initiatives—to bridge the digital divide. Without such measures, millions of Pakistanis risk being left on the wrong side of an increasingly digital world, stalling economic development and exacerbating inequality. The road ahead demands strong political will, private sector engagement, and inclusive policies that ensure every Pakistani can participate in—and benefit from—the digital economy.

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