ISLAMABAD: Social media consumption in Pakistan has witnessed significant growth, with the country having approximately 96 million YouTube users, according to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeezur Rehman.
Briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology, the PTA chief said social media platforms were becoming an increasingly important part of everyday life in Pakistan, with millions of people actively using YouTube, TikTok and WhatsApp.
TikTok Has 100 Million Accounts in Pakistan
According to Hafeezur Rehman, TikTok has approximately 100 million user accounts in Pakistan, while around 150 million Pakistanis watch videos on the platform.
He said the country has approximately 96 million YouTube users, generating around 560 million video views daily.
The PTA chairman also claimed that Pakistan ranks first globally in terms of YouTube video viewership.
Pakistanis Make One Billion WhatsApp Calls Every Day
Sharing figures on WhatsApp usage, the PTA chairman said the platform has approximately 100 million user accounts in Pakistan.
He added that Pakistani users make around one billion calls through WhatsApp every day and send approximately 12 billion messages daily.
Government Expands 5G Rollout
Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima said the growing use of social media platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) had significantly increased data consumption across the country.
She noted that no spectrum auction had taken place in Pakistan after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif left office. She said Pakistan had received 4G technology during his tenure, while the current government had conducted a spectrum auction for 5G services.
According to the minister, approximately 1.8 million people are currently using 5G services in Pakistan. She added that efforts were underway to expand 5G coverage to 24 cities and improve the quality of telecommunications services.
Why Are Telecom Services Facing Disruptions?
Addressing the problems affecting telecommunications services, Shaza Fatima said several factors were responsible for service interruptions.
She explained that telecommunications infrastructure was frequently targeted by theft, with equipment, diesel supplies and even entire generators being stolen from mobile network towers in different areas.
Such incidents, she said, disrupt network operations and cause inconvenience to consumers.
