The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication has been briefed about the upcoming 5G spectrum auction scheduled for April, which is expected to significantly improve internet services across Pakistan.
The meeting, chaired by Syed Amin-ul-Haque, saw committee members expressing concerns over the current internet situation, which continues to cause financial losses running into millions of dollars. Although the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had previously promised improvements by October 2024, issues remain unresolved.
PTA’s Chairman informed the committee that three out of seven submarine cables had been damaged, severely disrupting internet connectivity. He also highlighted the country’s insufficient spectrum allocation of 270 MHz, which is inadequate for Pakistan’s 240 million population, resulting in network congestion.
The PTA Chairman emphasized that over the past six years, the telecom sector has contributed Rs. 1,700 billion to the national exchequer. To improve connectivity, he announced plans to introduce four new submarine cables, which are expected to bolster internet performance and support the growth of the digital economy.
