ISLAMABAD: Over 91 per cent of the country’s population has access to cellular services, while all areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan have been covered with the telecom services, said the annual report of Pakistan Telecommu­nication Authority (PTA) for 2023-24.

The report, released on Monday, said that the broadband subscribers have increased from 127.6 million in June 2023 to 142.3 million in September 2024, with average speeds up by 28 per cent from 15.65mbps to 20.02mbps.

About the launch of 5G in the country the PTA said that bridging the digital divide constitutes a significant challenge in the rollout of 5G in Pakistan.

While urban areas may quickly benefit from the advanced infrastructure, rural and remote regions risk being left behind due to high costs and logistic hurdles of extending 5G to sparsely-populated areas.

Broadband subscribers up from 127.6m in June 2023 to 142.3m in September 2024

The availability of 5G handsets is also a barrier to widespread 5G adoption, ensuring equitable, nationwide access to 5G services is crucial for inclusive economic growth and social development.

The report acknowledges the substantial investments and upgrades made by telecom operators pushing telecom revenues to a record-breaking Rs955 billion in fiscal year 2023-24, with an Average Revenue Per User of Rs302 per month in April-June 2024.

The authority said that the one-window operation has simplified IP address and Virtual Private Network registration, benefiting businesses like software houses and call centres. Pakistan’s Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 ranking elevated from 79th to the top 40.

The PTA has finalised draft “Telecom Equipment Standards Regulations 2024”. The draft has been vetted by the law ministry and it is set to be approved by the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet.

The regulations will help maintain seamless communication and protect consumers from substandard or incompatible products including electromagnetic capability, health and safety and radio frequency communication etc.

The PTA, under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, actively handles complaints from public and government organisations concerning unlawful online content, and 1.43 million URLs linked to unlawful activities have been processed for blocking.

The report said that during the fiscal year 2023-24, the PTA received 191,514 consumer complaints related to telecom services and 99.3 per cent of them were resolved. To ensure data cleansing, PTA also blocked or recycled over 5.8 million inactive SIMs.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2024