Pakistan’s Ambitious Push Toward Digital Governance Hinges on Overcoming Fiber Expansion Challenges

Karachi — As Pakistan positions itself for a modern era of digital governance, the journey ahead presents both opportunity and challenge. The success of this transformation will largely depend on whether the country can overcome longstanding obstacles such as weak connectivity, high infrastructure costs, and the slow-paced rollout of Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) networks.

Under the National Fiberization Plan, the government aims to deliver high-speed broadband to 10 million households by 2029, providing each user a fixed internet connection of 100 Mbps. A key milestone of the initiative is to elevate Pakistan into the top 50 global rankings of Ookla’s speed index.

This initiative is being executed by the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT) in collaboration with the World Bank as part of the Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP)—a program designed to strengthen digital service delivery across public institutions.

To drive investment, the ministry is seeking to onboard a consultancy firm that can attract capital within the existing policy framework. The plan also includes reviewing the effective role of Administrative Incentive Pricing (AIP) in areas such as spectrum efficiency, expansion of middle-mile fiber, improving 4G coverage, and preparing the ground for 5G adoption. The revised strategy aims to discourage spectrum hoarding and support long-term investment in fiber infrastructure.

Industry professionals emphasize that Pakistan's digital aspirations depend heavily on deep fiber penetration. Fiber infrastructure specialist Taha Owais notes that while Pakistan holds over 211,000 kilometers of fiber, significant expansion is needed to meet rising connectivity demands in cities and enable digital transformation across government and business sectors.

IT exporter Dr. Nauman A. Saeed describes FTTH as the foundation of Pakistan’s digital future, stating that AI, cloud computing, and data center ecosystems simply cannot be built without extensive fiber infrastructure. He warns that challenges related to scattered networks, high deployment costs, limited adoption, inefficient spectrum use, submarine fiber needs, and cyber security risks must be addressed urgently.

Another IT exporter, Saad Shah, highlights that reliable high-speed connectivity is not only essential for national digitalization but also critical for strengthening Pakistan’s global reputation in the outsourcing industry—where quality infrastructure remains a defining competitive edge.