Pakistan’s transition to 5G technology presents an opportunity to accelerate economic growth, strengthen digital services and expand access to emerging technologies, but its success will depend on more than faster internet connections.
When the country introduced its first 4G services in 2014, widespread demand for mobile data had yet to emerge. However, the availability of faster connectivity helped create that demand. Pakistan is now approaching a similar stage, with broadband penetration more than doubling since 2019 to nearly 66 per cent, according to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
The country’s information and communication technology (ICT) exports also reached a record $4.6 billion in 2025–26, reflecting the growing importance of the digital economy. The introduction of 5G could further accelerate this progress.
Beyond faster smartphone connectivity, 5G has the potential to improve network capacity and support a wide range of economic activities. By shifting data-intensive users to newer networks, it could also reduce pressure on existing 4G infrastructure.
Its wider applications include helping factories identify equipment faults through connected sensors, enabling small businesses to access cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) services, and improving the efficiency of agricultural and industrial operations.
The technology could also transform access to essential services. Healthcare professionals in rural Sindh could consult specialists in Karachi through high-quality video connections, while farmers in south Punjab could receive agricultural and irrigation guidance in local languages. Similarly, entrepreneurs in Faisalabad could provide services to international clients without relocating abroad.
However, achieving these benefits will require an integrated digital ecosystem combining telecommunications networks, cloud computing, AI, reliable data infrastructure and skilled human resources.
Expanding connectivity without addressing affordability and accessibility could deepen existing social and economic inequalities.
Although mobile networks cover more than 92 per cent of Pakistan, estimates by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) indicate that only 58 per cent of adults used mobile internet in 2025. High device costs, limited digital literacy and social barriers remain among the main obstacles.
The gender gap in mobile internet usage narrowed from 25 per cent to eight per cent within a year. However, Pakistan continues to have the widest mobile phone ownership gap among the countries surveyed, with ownership standing at 68 per cent among women compared with 93 per cent among men.
Making 5G accessible to a wider population will therefore require affordable smartphones, improved digital skills, reliable electricity and stronger backhaul infrastructure. Rationalising taxes, encouraging local device manufacturing and directing Universal Service Fund resources towards underserved communities will also be important.
The objective should be to ensure that access to digital services is not restricted by income, location or language.
China offers an example of how 5G can be used as a foundation for wider technological development. By the end of 2025, nearly two-thirds of mobile users in the country were using 5G services.
China has increasingly focused on expanding the role of telecommunications networks beyond carrying calls and data to providing computing capacity and intelligent digital services. Its development of a 6G testbed integrating communication, sensing, computing and AI further demonstrates this approach.
For Pakistan, the lesson is that 5G should be treated as a platform for economic and technological development rather than an end in itself.
Combined with cloud computing and AI, the technology could support more efficient networks, expand broadband access through fixed wireless services in areas where fibre-optic infrastructure is expensive, and improve agricultural and industrial supply chains through connected sensors.
However, international technological advances will generate meaningful benefits only when adapted to local needs.
Pakistan also needs to invest in artificial intelligence systems that understand the country’s languages, culture and social requirements.
Developing a large language model suited to local languages, alongside an AI assistant accessible through SMS, USSD and voice calls, could help extend digital services to people who do not own smartphones or have regular internet access.
Such initiatives would ensure that the next generation of digital development benefits new users rather than only those already connected.
Pakistan must also focus on retaining the economic value generated through its digital economy. Freelancers should be able to expand their international services, start-ups should have access to local cloud infrastructure, and skilled professionals should be able to compete globally without having to leave the country.
Achieving these objectives will require cooperation across multiple sectors.
Telecommunications operators must continue investing in infrastructure, while the government needs to provide consistent and predictable policies. The regulator must ensure efficient spectrum allocation and encourage infrastructure sharing. Device manufacturers should work towards reducing costs, while universities must strengthen education and training in AI, cloud computing and cybersecurity.
Public institutions, which are among the largest users of technology, can also play an important role in accelerating digital adoption.
Pakistan’s 5G transition has begun, but its long-term success will depend on converting improved connectivity into practical economic and social benefits.
The impact of the technology should be measured not simply through internet speed tests, but by its ability to improve healthcare access, support farmers, expand opportunities for freelancers and help Pakistani businesses compete in international markets.
The central challenge is no longer just how much faster 5G can make mobile phones, but how effectively Pakistan can use the technology to strengthen its economy and improve people’s lives.
