Pakistan: National connectivity plan targets faster broadband expansion through major telecom reforms
新闻台署名 来源：新华社、《黎明报》、《阿拉伯新闻》、阿纳多卢通讯社与《分钟镜报》。由 GSRRA 编辑部翻译并节选。
Pakistan’s proposed National Connectivity Plan aims to expand FTTH and improve broadband speeds through telecom regulatory reforms, including abolishing right-of-way fees, single-window approvals, and incentives for remote access.
Pakistan is aiming to significantly expand its digital infrastructure under a proposed National Connectivity Plan (NCP), with ambitious targets to improve broadband performance, extend fibre coverage and accelerate internet access through a package of regulatory reforms.
The plan, reviewed at a meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema and attended by IT & Telecom Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja along with senior officials, sets out a roadmap to increase fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connectivity and strengthen digital inclusion, particularly in underserved parts of the country.
Among the headline proposals discussed was the abolition of right-of-way (RoW) fees, a long-standing demand of the telecom industry. RoW charges are paid by telecom operators to obtain permission for laying optical fibre and related infrastructure across land owned by authorities such as road agencies, railway networks and housing societies. Industry experts argue that removing these fees would reduce deployment costs and speed up fibre expansion.
Ad powered by advergic.com
The meeting also considered introducing a single-window approval portal for telecom infrastructure, district-level licensing, mandatory fixed broadband connections at public institutions, schools and healthcare facilities, and targeted tax relief for internet users in remote regions to encourage wider digital adoption.
Officials said expanding reliable high-speed internet to villages, small towns and other underserved areas remains central to the strategy, with improved connectivity expected to create opportunities for freelancers, e-commerce businesses and the broader digital economy.
Cheema said the government would take all necessary steps to ensure affordable, high-speed internet services become widely available across the country, enabling citizens in remote areas to participate more effectively in digital economic activity.
The meeting was informed that Pakistan’s digital infrastructure has continued to expand, with FTTH subscriptions reaching 2.8 million. The country now has a fibre network stretching 234,000 kilometres, 5.1 million house passes, and six operational submarine cables supporting internet connectivity.
Ad powered by advergic.com
Building on this base, the proposed NCP sets targets of expanding fibre coverage to 10 million households, increasing average fixed broadband download speeds to 85 Mbps, raising telecom tower fibreisation to 60%, and placing Pakistan among the world’s top 50 countries for broadband performance.
Cheema said the government would finalise the National Connectivity Plan after completing consultations with all relevant stakeholders to ensure its effective implementation.
Reference Link:- https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2026/07/31/national-connectivity-plan-targets-faster-broadband-expansion-through-major-telecom-reforms
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
