ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan is working on new cable routes to improve international internet connectivity, Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Tuesday.
Addressing the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Symposium, the minister said Pakistan had made rapid progress in narrowing the gender digital divide, citing the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).
She said three new submarine internet cables had landed in Pakistan over the past two and a half years, while work on additional cable routes was underway to strengthen the country's international connectivity.
Shaza Fatima said progress on the national connectivity plan was reviewed every 15 days under the chairmanship of the prime minister.
She added that more than 17,000 kilometres of optical fibre had been laid under the Universal Service Fund (USF), while the number of fibre broadband home passes in Pakistan had exceeded five million.
The minister said fibreisation of mobile towers had crossed 19 per cent, with a target of increasing the figure to 60 per cent.
She noted that the auction of 480 megahertz of spectrum in March 2026 had paved the way for the introduction of 5G services in Pakistan. Connecting mobile towers to optical fibre, she added, was essential for the provision of 5G connectivity.
The IT minister further said more than 10 million people in Pakistan had received fuel subsidies through technology, adding that owning a smartphone had not been made a prerequisite for accessing the assistance.