FTTH subscriptions expand to 2.8m

As Pakistan's digital development momentum gains pace, the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) subscriptions have grown steadily to 2.8 million, supported by a robust fibre footprint spread over 234,000 kilometres, 5.1 million homes passed and six operational submarine cables.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema chaired a meeting on the National Connectivity Plan, joined by Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja and senior officials.

The meeting primarily focused on expanding access to high-speed internet in villages, remote areas and small towns to bridge the digital divide and unlock new economic opportunities.

Ahad Cheema emphasised that the government's top priority was to facilitate freelancers, e-commerce entrepreneurs and other digital professionals living in remote regions, who continued to face challenges due to slow and unreliable internet connectivity. He said the government would take all necessary measures to ensure the availability of affordable, high-speed internet services across the country, enabling citizens to participate fully in the digital economy.

Meeting participants also underscored the vital role of next-generation fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks and 5G infrastructure in driving national economic growth, creating employment opportunities and fostering nationwide digital inclusion.

To build upon the progress made in expanding the FTTH subscriptions, the minister for economic affairs outlined ambitious national targets under the plan, including expanding infrastructure to 10 million homes passed, raising average fixed broadband download speeds to 85 Mbps, securing a place among the world's top 50 countries for broadband performance and increasing tower fiberisation to 60%.

The meeting placed strong emphasis on improving digital accessibility and affordability for all citizens. In a key decision aimed at supporting consumers, the participants considered a targeted tax relief for internet users in remote areas to expand digital inclusion.

The additional strategic reforms discussed included abolishing the right-of-way fee, launching a single-window approval portal, introducing district-level licensing and making fixed broadband connectivity mandatory across public institutions, schools and healthcare facilities.

Emphasising the government's commitment to effective implementation, Federal Minister Ahad Cheema said the National Connectivity Plan would be finalised expeditiously through comprehensive stakeholder consultation.

He stressed that a structured and sequenced approach, prioritising essential regulatory reforms, enforcing clear operator obligations and linking financial support to verified performance milestones, would be critical to accelerating nationwide fibre deployment while safeguarding public resources and ensuring long-term commercial viability.