The federal government is working to bridge the country’s persistent digital divide through a proposed National Connectivity Plan aimed at expanding high speed internet access to villages, remote areas and small towns across Pakistan. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema chaired a meeting to discuss the proposal, joined by Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja and several senior government officials, with the session focused primarily on unlocking new economic opportunities by extending reliable connectivity beyond major urban centers.
Central to the plan is a focus on supporting freelancers, e-commerce entrepreneurs and other digital professionals working from remote regions, where slow and unreliable internet has long created obstacles for people trying to participate in online work. Cheema said the government’s priority is to ensure affordable, high speed internet becomes available to this segment of workers, allowing more citizens across the country to take part in the growing digital economy regardless of their location. Discussions during the meeting also touched on the importance of expanding 5G infrastructure and next generation fiber to the home networks as key drivers of national economic growth, with officials framing these upgrades as tools for job creation and broader digital inclusion.
Officials pointed to the country’s existing momentum in digital infrastructure development, noting that fiber to the home subscriptions currently stand at 2.8 million, supported by a fiber footprint spanning 234,000 kilometers, 5.1 million house passes, and six operational submarine cables. Building on this base, the proposed plan sets ambitious targets, including expanding house passes to 10 million, raising average fixed broadband download speeds to 85 Mbps, and increasing tower fiberization to 60 percent, with officials saying these targets are intended to help Pakistan rank among the world’s top 50 countries for broadband performance.
The meeting placed significant emphasis on digital affordability, with participants discussing targeted tax relief for internet users in remote areas as a way to expand participation in digital services. Additional reforms under consideration include abolishing right of way fees, launching a single window approval portal, introducing district level licensing, and making fixed broadband connectivity mandatory across public institutions, schools and health facilities. Cheema stressed the need for a structured, sequenced approach to implementation, with financial support tied directly to verified performance milestones to accelerate fiber deployment while protecting public resources. The government said the National Connectivity Plan will be finalized through comprehensive stakeholder consultation as the proposal moves toward implementation.
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