Internet in Pakistan

The Internet has been accessible in Pakistan since the early 1990s, and the country now boasts over 140 million Internet users, ranking it as the 7th-largest population of Internet users globally. Information and communications technology (ICT) is one of the fastest-growing industries in Pakistan. In 2001, only 1.3% of the population used the Internet, but this figure increased to 6.5% by 2006 and reached 10.0% in 2012. As of July 2021, approximately 54% of the population, translating to around 118 million citizens, had access to the Internet. Recognizing the significant role of telecommunications in the economy, the Government of Pakistan (GoP) introduced the Telecommunication Policy 2015. This policy acknowledges telecommunications as a dominant sector contributing to societal well-being and GDP. The Telecom Policy 2015 aims to support a comprehensive national agenda and transform Pakistan into an economically vibrant, knowledge-based, middle-income country by 2025.

Userbase

As of January 2025, Pakistan has approximately 14.3 crore Internet users, with 30 lakh fixed broadband subscribers and 14 crore mobile broadband subscribers. The country is served by 207 operational Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as of December 2024. The primary top-level domain for Pakistan is .pk.

Broadband

Pakistan has over 200 Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and fiber-based home broadband has experienced rapid growth, increasing from fewer than 70,000 subscribers in 2018 to 19 lakh subscribers as of January 2025. High-speed broadband is available through all major ISPs, offering plans that range from 10 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s. Notable providers in the fiber broadband segment include:

• FlashFiber (the Fiber to the Home brand by PTCL)
• StormFiber (a subsidiary of Cybernet)
• Nayatel
• Transworld Home (a subsidiary of Transworld Associates)