GSMA data highlights affordability, smartphone costs, digital skills, safety concerns and relevance as key barriers keeping millions of covered Pakistanis offline.
Pakistan’s mobile broadband networks cover a vast population, but around 140 million people who live within coverage areas remain offline, highlighting a growing gap between network availability and actual internet use.
According to the GSMA’s State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2026 report, Pakistan has one of the world’s largest mobile internet usage gaps. India has the largest such gap at about 710 million people, while Pakistan’s figure is comparable with Nigeria’s.
The data shifts attention from network expansion toward the factors preventing people from using services that are already available to them.
Coverage Does Not Guarantee Connectivity
The GSMA Consumer Survey 2025 identifies digital literacy, affordability and perceived relevance among the main barriers to mobile internet adoption. In Pakistan, family-related restrictions are also identified as a distinct obstacle and are described as more prominent than in many comparable markets.
The report also highlights concerns among existing users, including inconsistent connectivity, online safety and security and limited digital skills. Differences between urban and rural users further complicate the picture.
The distinction is important for policymakers. Where coverage is lacking, infrastructure investment can address the problem. Where people already have network access but remain offline, affordability, skills, trust and practical relevance require greater attention.
Smartphone Costs Remain a Major Barrier
The cost of internet-enabled devices is another significant obstacle. Across low- and middle-income countries, an entry-level smartphone represented 44% of average monthly income for the poorest 20% of the population by the end of 2025, according to GSMA figures.
The organisation estimates that reducing entry-level smartphone prices to between $20 and $30 could make smartphones affordable for an additional 1.6 billion to 2.2 billion people globally.
For Pakistan, the findings point toward potential policy measures such as encouraging local handset assembly, increasing competition among manufacturers and expanding financing options for first-time smartphone buyers.
Digital Literacy Must Become More Practical
The findings also suggest that digital-literacy initiatives need to move beyond basic awareness.
Training focused on digital payments, e-commerce, government services, education and employment platforms could give people more practical reasons to use mobile internet.
Simply knowing that internet access exists does not necessarily lead to adoption. Users are more likely to engage when digital services provide clear benefits for their income, education, financial needs or access to public services.
Existing Users Face Different Problems
The challenges continue even after people come online. For existing mobile internet users, data affordability and network quality can determine how extensively they use digital services.
Slow speeds and unreliable connectivity can limit engagement despite technical access to mobile broadband.
For operators and regulators, this creates two challenges: encouraging people who remain offline to adopt mobile internet while improving the experience for existing users.
Implications for Pakistan’s Digital Economy
The roughly 140 million-person usage gap represents a significant constraint on the expansion of digital commerce, financial services and e-governance.
The GSMA findings indicate that Pakistan’s next stage of digital inclusion will require more than expanding coverage. Affordable devices, practical digital skills, reliable connectivity and stronger online safety measures will all influence whether covered populations become active internet users.
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