GSMA’s Saira Faisal Maps Out Pakistan’s Path to Digital Pakistan 2030

Pakistan's digital economy is at an inflection point. Years of policy debate around spectrum pricing, digital inclusion, and infrastructure investment are now translating into visible momentum, but the real test lies ahead: turning that momentum into outcomes that actually reach individuals.

Key points

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• What do you see as the single biggest obstacle standing between Pakistan and sustained investment in its telecom infrastructure right now?
• What's changed most in Pakistan's telecom sector over the past two to three years and for better or worse?
• Over the past two to three years, Pakistan has created visible progress throughout a number of foundations of digital transformation.

1. What do you see as the single biggest obstacle standing between Pakistan and sustained investment in its telecom infrastructure right now?

One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the overall fiscal and regulatory environment leaves sufficient capacity for operators to continue investing. The recent spectrum reforms have been an significant step towards a more predictable investment environment, with more balanced pricing, flexible payment terms and local-currency arrangements all reducing some of the uncertainty around future network investment. Our analysis estimates that the mobile sector contributed approximately PKR 278 billion in taxes and fees in 2025, equivalent to around 40% of total sector revenues. That underlines the need to balance short-term fiscal objectives against the long-term investment required for network expansion, service quality, resilience and 5G deployment. Notably, the objective is not simply fiscal reform; it is preserving enough investment capacity to sustain future digital infrastructure.

2. Pakistan still has a meaningful gap between individuals who could secure online and individuals who actually do and that gap is wider still for women. Where do you think the real blockage is: cost, coverage, skills, or something else?

In practice, the blockage is increasingly less regarding network availability and more concerning affordability, access to internet-enabled devices, digital skills, safety reservations and social norms. Increasingly, the bigger challenge is not simply coverage but turning available connectivity into meaningful employ. 81% of the population is already covered by mobile broadband. While social norms and affordability weigh more heavily on women specifically, our latest findings show that literacy and digital skills remain the leading barrier for both women and men. Device ownership additionally remains central; 28% of women mobile internet users access services without owning an internet-enabled phone, often relying on someone else's device. The focus therefore needs to move beyond counting connections to ensuring that citizens women included can access, afford and confidently employ digital services.

3. As AI becomes central to how economies grow, what does Pakistan need to obtain right on the infrastructure side to not be left behind?

Pakistan should not think regarding AI infrastructure in isolation. AI readiness starts with getting the digital fundamentals right: high-quality connectivity, fibre, computing capacity, reliable power and an investment environment that allows this infrastructure to scale. Preparing for the AI economy additionally requires coordinated planning for spectrum, fibre, cloud, data centres and resilient energy infrastructure capable of supporting AI-enabled public services, digital industries and enterprise innovation. The policy environment will additionally need to enable infrastructure sharing, efficient deployment and faster approvals, particularly as network requirements become more complex and capital-intensive.

4. Trust is becoming as significant as coverage in digital economies scams, data misuse, child safety online. How ready is Pakistan's digital ecosystem to handle that shift?

Pakistan is increasingly recognising digital trust as a core part of its digital agenda. The Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025, establishment of the Pakistan Digital Authority, development of a national data-governance framework, and growing attention to child online safety and cybersecurity are significant signals. The next challenge is bringing these areas together into a more coherent approach to digital trust. What matters now is recognising that cybersecurity, data governance, online safety, fraud prevention and resilient infrastructure are no longer separate policy problems; they are essential building blocks of a modern digital economy. Digital trust is a shared responsibility, and administration, mobile operators, technology providers, financial institutions, digital platforms and development partners each have a role in creating a secure, resilient and trusted ecosystem.

5. Delivering a national digital agenda usually means getting federal administration, provinces, regulators and industry rowing in the same direction. Where does that coordination tend to break down, in your experience?

Coordination usually breaks down between agreement and execution. Digital transformation cuts throughout ministries, regulators, provincial governments, industry and development institutions, and no single organisation can deliver the agenda independently. Pakistan has already demonstrated that collaborative reform can deliver progress. The challenge is moving from periodic consultation to structured implementation. That was additionally one of the clearest messages coming out of our recent Digital Nations Pakistan Ministerial Roundtable. While recognising the importance of preserving provincial ownership and flexibility, we heard a solid appetite for more structured federal-provincial engagement. Delivering Digital Pakistan 2030 will depend on that shift. It requires clear ownership of agreed actions, regular progress reviews and stronger coordination between federal and provincial institutions. A clear implementation mechanism would support maintain momentum, align priorities, monitor delivery and strengthen accountability throughout stakeholders.You've watched telecom markets throughout Asia Pacific evolve for years, where would you place Pakistan's journey compared to where you anticipated it to be at this point?

Pakistan has created meaningful progress, but there remains considerable headroom in areas such as mobile internet adoption, investment capacity and digital readiness. What stands out, nevertheless, is the speed at which the country can advance when policy, industry action and consumer demand reinforce one another. Pakistan has built stronger foundations for continued transformation; the opportunity now is to convert that momentum into sustained investment and measurable outcomes.

6. What's changed most in Pakistan's telecom sector over the past two to three years and for better or worse?

Over the past two to three years, Pakistan has created visible progress throughout a number of foundations of digital transformation. The spectrum framework has become more investment-oriented, with the 5G spectrum auction completed on improved terms, more investment-friendly terms, flexible payment terms and PKR-denominated payments. Mobile internet adoption has continued to grow, women's digital inclusion has improved significantly, and digital governance has strengthened. Alongside that, digital technologies are increasingly recognised as drivers of national productivity and competitiveness and are being embedded in national economic planning. Taken together, these are positive changes that have strengthened the foundations for continued transformation. The remaining challenge is to ensure that this policy progress translates into sustained investment, wider adoption and consistently better outcomes for consumers.

7. Is there a market in the region that Pakistan should be looking to as a model, or is Pakistan's path fairly unique given its size and geography?

Pakistan can learn from the experience of other markets, but no single country offers a model that can simply be transplanted. Pakistan's size, geography, demographics and stage of digital development require an approach grounded in its own context. That diversity additionally matters within Pakistan. Provinces have different levels of digital maturity and different priorities, so implementation needs to allow flexibility while still working towards common national objectives and greater interoperability. Notably, the five strategic priorities we have set out reflect that context and Pakistan's recent progress: unlocking investment capacity, accelerating digital inclusion, preparing for the AI economy, building trusted digital infrastructure and delivering together. The most useful approach is to draw on international experience while designing solutions around Pakistan's own needs, foundations and momentum.

8. What would you say has been the most underappreciated success in Pakistan's digital story so far something that doesn't obtain enough credit?

One of Pakistan's most underappreciated digital successes has been the rapid rise in women's mobile internet adoption. It rose from 45% to 53% of the adult female population between 2024 and 2025, with the mobile internet gender gap narrowing from 25% to 8% over the same period. That is a major achievement, and it demonstrates how rapidly progress can be achieved when policy, industry action and consumer demand reinforce one another. It deserves real recognition, even as we acknowledge the wider usage gap still to close.

9. If you had to bet on where Pakistan's telecom sector will be five years from now, what's your honest read ahead of schedule, on track, or still catching up?

Pakistan has stronger momentum today than it did a few years ago, but the next five years will be regarding converting that momentum into measurable outcomes. Whether Pakistan becomes a more competitive, inclusive and trusted digital economy by 2030 will depend on sustained investment, meaningful inclusion and continued progress in building trusted, future-ready digital infrastructure. That, in turn, rests on investment certainty, stronger digital trust, future-ready infrastructure and coordinated action throughout administration, industry and development partners. The future of Digital Pakistan will not be defined by the policies confirmed, but by the outcomes delivered together.

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