Domestic internet connections rise to 5.1 million as primier reviews 5G rollout, AI initiatives and digital expansion plans.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday chaired a review meeting on the affairs of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, where it was informed that the number of domestic internet connections in the country had surged from 1.9 million in 2024 to 5.10 million this year, while IT exports were expected to reach $4.6 billion during the current fiscal year.
The prime minister said promoting the IT sector and increasing IT-related exports were among the government’s priorities.
He emphasised that Pakistan’s youth possessed immense potential in the IT field, which must be fully utilised.
Prime Minister Shehbaz instructed officials to accelerate the establishment of Asaan Khidmat Centres in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir and to collaborate with provincial governments to launch the facilities across the provinces.
He said cooperation from provincial and district-level governments should be sought to reduce the digital gap between urban and rural areas in the IT sector.
During the briefing on various initiatives for the promotion of IT, participants were informed that a recent 5G services auction held in Pakistan marked the world’s largest such auction since 2016, generating $509 million in revenue for the country.
Besides, the “Indus AI Week” was organised in February 2025 to promote artificial intelligence, featuring events across 30 cities, participation from over 100 international delegates, and 88 pavilions.
It was informed that fibre connectivity had been provided to government schools and health units in Islamabad, while the provision of free internet hotspots in the capital was in its final stages.
Participants were also told that e-learning pods were being installed in Saidpur Model Village and Fatima Jinnah Park.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahad Khan Cheema, and Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, and other senior government officials.
