Pakistan’s journey towards a truly digital society hinges on its ability to bridge the persistent digital divide. While mobile technology has emerged as the primary vehicle for internet access, significant disparities remain, particularly between urban and rural areas, and across gender lines. As of mid-2025, the nation is making strides, but concerted efforts are still required to ensure equitable access and foster genuine digital inclusion for all its citizens.

The Current Landscape: Mobile as the Gateway

Mobile technology is undeniably at the heart of Pakistan’s digital transformation. With a population of 253 million in January 2025, there were 190 million cellular mobile connections, equivalent to 75.2% of the total population. This highlights mobile as the dominant platform for connectivity, especially given the limited fixed-line infrastructure in many parts of the country.

Internet penetration has been steadily increasing, reaching 116 million internet users at the start of 2025, which translates to 45.7% of the total population. This marks a significant increase of 1.7 million users (+1.5%) between January 2024 and January 2025. Mobile broadband (3G, 4G, and emerging 5G) accounts for a vast majority of these connections, with 74% of mobile connections now considered “broadband.” Median mobile internet download speeds reached 20.89 Mbps in January 2025, a 25.3% increase over the previous year, indicating improving service quality.

Despite these encouraging figures, it’s crucial to remember that 54.3% of the population remained offline at the start of 2024, indicating the scale of the challenge still ahead.

The Manifestation of the Digital Divide

The digital divide in Pakistan is multifaceted, extending beyond mere access to technology. It’s deeply intertwined with socio-economic, geographical, and cultural factors:

• Urban-Rural Divide: This is perhaps the most pronounced aspect. While urban centers like Lahore, Karachi, and Faisalabad boast better internet connectivity and access to digital devices, rural regions often grapple with inadequate internet infrastructure, unreliable electricity, and a shortage of affordable digital tools. For instance, while 72% of urban Punjab has 4G coverage, this drops to just 28% in rural areas. Areas like Balochistan, due to harsh terrain and lack of essential infrastructure, face severe connectivity challenges.
• Gender Disparity: Pakistan has one of the widest mobile ownership gender gaps globally, with women being 37% less likely than men to own a mobile phone (Mobile Gender Gap Report 2019). Cultural norms, safety concerns, and economic disadvantages disproportionately restrict women’s access to digital devices and the internet. This impacts female participation in online education, economic opportunities (like freelancing), and access to essential services. Reports indicate that girls in rural areas are significantly less likely to have smartphone access for educational purposes.
• Socioeconomic Factors: Affordability remains a significant barrier. While mobile data costs are relatively low (0.70% of GDP per capita, below the UN standard of 2%), the cost of digital devices themselves, compounded by high taxes on telecom users, makes them unaffordable for many low-income families. This leads to a high percentage of 2G-enabled devices still in use.
• Digital Literacy and Awareness: Beyond access, a lack of digital literacy and awareness, particularly in rural and marginalized communities, prevents individuals from meaningfully engaging with technology and leveraging its benefits. Only about 28% of rural residents feel comfortable using digital platforms.

Government Initiatives to Bridge the Gap

Recognizing the urgency, the Government of Pakistan, through its Ministry of IT and Telecommunication and its Universal Service Fund (USF), has launched several initiatives:

• Universal Service Fund (USF): The USF plays a pivotal role in extending connectivity to unserved and underserved areas. In FY2025 (July-March), USF projects extended voice and broadband coverage to over 525,000 people across Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab. Recent approvals by the USF Board in June 2025 greenlit seven transformative projects worth PKR 7.49 billion. These initiatives aim to provide high-speed internet and seamless mobile connectivity to 0.96 million residents in 347 mauzas (villages) across 10 districts, and lay 940 km of Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) in Sanghar and Jhang, reaching 2.8 million residents in 113 towns and union councils. USF’s solar-powered telecom projects are crucial for sustainable and reliable connectivity in off-grid areas.
• Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025: This recent legislation aims to accelerate digital transformation, including provisions for enhancing digital literacy and establishing a unified digital identity, which will streamline access to various services.
• Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy and Regulations (2021): This policy encouraged local assembly and production of smartphones, surpassing imports in 2021 and aiming to narrow the 2G-4G user gap by making devices more affordable.
• Digital Literacy Programs: Initiatives like the Punjab Information Technology Board’s (PITB) “E-Rozgar” program and collaborations with NGOs aim to train young individuals in digital skills and provide tech training sessions.
• Satellite Internet: Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, has highlighted satellite internet as a key solution to bridge the digital divide, ensuring nationwide connectivity regardless of geography.

Opportunities and What’s Next

Bridging the digital divide unlocks immense opportunities for Pakistan:

• Inclusive Economic Growth: Digital access empowers remote communities to participate in the digital economy, fostering freelancing, e-commerce, and small businesses, thus contributing to national GDP and IT exports. USF projects have already empowered over 37 million people, enabling talented youth and women to thrive as freelancers and startups.
• Enhanced Education: Online learning platforms become accessible, improving the quality of education and skill development, especially for students in underserved areas.
• Improved Healthcare: Telemedicine can connect patients in remote areas with specialized medical care, a critical need in a country with geographical disparities in healthcare access.
• Financial Inclusion: Mobile banking and digital payment services can bring the unbanked into the formal financial system, promoting economic independence.
• Empowered Governance: Greater digital inclusion facilitates e-governance, making public services more transparent and accessible to all citizens.

The path forward requires a multi-pronged approach:

• Sustained Investment: Continued and increased investment in broadband infrastructure, particularly fiber optic backhaul, is essential.
• Affordability Measures: Policies to reduce taxes on mobile devices and services, and innovative financing models for device acquisition, are crucial.
• Digital Literacy Campaigns: Robust, targeted digital literacy programs that address gender and rural-urban disparities are vital to ensure meaningful use of technology.
• Public-Private Partnerships: Stronger collaboration between the government, telecom operators, and local tech companies to share resources and expertise.
• Content Relevance: Developing locally relevant digital content and services that cater to the needs of diverse communities.
• Data Protection and Online Safety: Strengthening regulations and awareness campaigns around online safety and data privacy to build trust, especially among women.

By prioritizing universal, trustworthy, and inclusive connectivity, Pakistan can truly bridge its digital divide, transforming mobile technology from a mere communication tool into a powerful engine for socio-economic development and national progress. The commitment is there, the opportunities are vast; the challenge now lies in accelerating implementation and ensuring no one is left behind in the digital revolution.