Pakistan’s appetite for data is growing at breakneck speed, with the country’s telecom sector reporting a 37.84% surge in data usage over the past three years, according to the latest figures from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Data consumption jumped from 20,235 petabytes (PB) in 2022-23 to a whopping 27,897 PB in 2024-25, fueled by the nation’s insatiable demand for streaming, online education, e-commerce, and mobile apps.
The year-on-year increase in data usage stood at 10.96%, with 25,141 PB consumed in 2023-24. The digital boom is also reflected in the number of broadband users, which climbed from 127.6 million in 2022-23 to 150 million in 2024-25,a 17.55% increase over three years and 8.47% compared to last year. Broadband penetration now stands at 60.8%, up from 53.6% in 2022-23.
Telecom Subscribers and Network Expansion
The total number of telecom subscribers reached 200 million in 2024-25, up 3.36% from 193.5 million in 2022-23. Growth has slowed, however, with a modest 2.51% increase from 195.1 million in 2023-24. Teledensity, a measure of the number of telecom connections per 100 people, remained steady at 81.21%, signaling a mature market with little room for explosive subscriber growth.
To keep up with the digital demand, telecom operators have been busy expanding their networks. The number of cell sites rose from 53,581 in 2022-23 to 57,888 in 2024-25, marking an 8.03% increase over three years and 3.78% over the past year. This infrastructure boost has helped extend mobile and internet connectivity to both urban and rural areas.
Revenue Rollercoaster
Despite the surge in users and data consumption, the telecom sector’s revenues have taken a hit. Total revenues dropped to Rs. 803 billion in 2024-25, down 15.91% from Rs. 955 billion in 2023-24 and 1.71% lower than the Rs. 817 billion recorded in 2022-23.
On the bright side, the sector’s contribution to the national exchequer rebounded to Rs. 271 billion in 2024-25, up from Rs. 195.1 billion last year, though still trailing the Rs. 341 billion contributed in 2022-23.
