Federal Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja met with Kaan Terzioğlu, CEO VEON, for a detailed discussion on Pakistan’s digital infrastructure needs and the expanding role of global telecom partners in supporting national connectivity. The meeting placed strong emphasis on strengthening digital capacity and identifying areas where international collaboration can support Pakistan’s transition toward more resilient and higher bandwidth communication systems. With Pakistan’s telecom ecosystem undergoing a period of rapid demand growth, the discussion centered around enhancing regional fiber corridors, deepening submarine cable capacity, and improving access routes that can increase international bandwidth reliability for both consumers and businesses.
During the meeting, the Federal Minister highlighted that Pakistan’s digital backbone is now at a stage that requires accelerated expansion. Focus was placed on regional fiber routes that can connect Pakistan more efficiently to neighboring digital hubs. Discussions also examined submarine cable expansion and how additional landing points and greater redundancy can support uninterrupted international connectivity. VEON’s global footprint, coupled with its operational experience in multiple high-load markets, formed an important part of the conversation as Pakistan continues to expand its own capacity for digital traffic, cloud services, and cross-border data requirements. The ADP backed national fiber rollout was also discussed as a priority project requiring efficient execution across provinces to meet rising demand for high-speed networks.
The Minister further emphasized the growing requirements of cloud services, data centers, and AI driven solutions within Pakistan’s digital ecosystem. With increasing enterprise adoption and rising data localization needs, Pakistan is preparing for higher workload centers that will require dependable connectivity and scalable processing capacity. Both sides exchanged views on how Pakistan can attract investment in data processing, improve access to international cloud platforms, and expand local facilities to support sectors such as finance, manufacturing, and public service delivery. Strengthening this foundation is essential for enabling the adoption of advanced digital tools across government and industry.
As part of ongoing preparations for a future-ready 5G environment, Shaza Fatima discussed Pakistan’s need for telecom infrastructure that can handle increased device density, low latency requirements, and advanced mobility solutions. The meeting highlighted that demand for high performance networks continues to grow across urban and semi urban areas as users rely on digital communication for work, learning, and services. VEON’s interest in supporting Pakistan’s broader digital expansion reflects ongoing engagement between the public sector and international telecom partners who remain active contributors to national development initiatives.
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