Pakistan Aims to Provide High-Speed Internet Access to Every Child, Says IT Minister

Islamabad: Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima has announced plans to expand high-speed internet access across Pakistan. She said the government envisions a digitally transformed country within four years.

The minister revealed that Pakistan’s IT exports have reached $3.8 billion. She believes the real figures are even higher. According to her, freelancers play a major role in boosting IT exports.

She highlighted that training programmes are underway to equip people with digital skills. Currently, 300,000 individuals are being trained, and another 300,000 will join soon. The government also aims to train one million people in partnership with Huawei, Google, and other companies.

Shaza Fatima further explained that Pakistan is connected through seven submarine cables. Three more cables are expected soon. She noted that Prime Minister’s visit to China will focus on new investment opportunities in this sector.

The minister said all submarine cables currently land in Karachi, but the government wants to build an additional landing station in Gwadar or another location. She acknowledged challenges in fibre deployment due to high right-of-way charges and lengthy approval processes.

She added that 98% of internet users in Pakistan rely on Wi-Fi, while only 2% use fibre. The target is to expand fibre connectivity to 40–60%. She also mentioned that satellite internet regulations are being finalised, with applications already submitted by US, Chinese, and other companies.