Pakistan says satellite internet is in its final stage as USF subsidies pass $1 billion
IT minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja told a regional telecom symposium in Islamabad that the regulatory framework will be finalised after consultation, and that fibre now passes more than 5 million homes.
Pakistan's long awaited satellite internet launch has entered its final stages, IT and Telecommunication Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on 13 October at the opening of a three day Asia Pacific Telecommunity symposium on digital transformation and the Universal Service Fund (USF) in Islamabad.
She said the government will finalise the regulatory framework after completing consultations with relevant institutions. Companies that invest in satellite internet will get a business friendly environment, she said, and the ministry is working on new licensing rules and business models so local firms can serve rural areas. No date for the final framework was given.
USF subsidies and fibre growth
The minister put the USF's contracted subsidies at $1.054 billion, past the $1 billion mark. USF Pakistan says 158 of 185 awarded projects are complete, more than Rs169 billion in subsidies have been used, and over 38.4 million people have benefited directly.
Fibre has grown quickly under the fund. More than 17,000 kilometres of optical fibre have been laid through the USF, and the number of homes passed by fibre broadband has risen from under 3 million in 2024 to over 5 million. Three new submarine internet cables have landed in Pakistan in the past two and a half years.
On mobile, Khawaja said Pakistan introduced 5G through a spectrum auction in March 2026, and that the gender gap in mobile internet use has narrowed from 38 percent to 8 percent.
Beyond towers
The symposium was organised by the ministry and USF Pakistan with the Asia Pacific Telecommunity secretariat. Its themes were gigabit broadband, emerging technologies, sustainable funding with transparent governance, and cooperation among governments, regulators, operators and communities. Sessions covered fibre backhaul and last mile links, low Earth orbit satellites, buy now pay later financing for smartphones, local AI infrastructure in rural areas, and lower right of way charges.
Khawaja said Pakistan is updating its policies under the APT Tokyo Statement 2025 to improve fibre, smartphone affordability and local AI computing, and that closing the usage gap matters as much as extending coverage.
The Telecommunity's secretary general, Dr Masanori Kondo, said digital exclusion was no longer limited to a lack of physical network coverage, and argued that universal service funds must become flexible, results oriented frameworks.
USF Pakistan chief executive Ch Mudassar Naveed said universal service funds have traditionally been judged by towers installed, but meaningful connectivity now needs fibre, infrastructure sharing and support for usage. Delegates from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Samoa attended, along with executives from PTCL, PTML, Zong and Huawei. The symposium ran from 13 to 15 October.
