Telecom Data Usage Reached 27,897 Petabytes in Pakistan: PTA

According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), data usage in the telecom sector surged by 37.84% over the past three years, rising from 20,235 petabytes (PB) in 2022-23 to 27,897 PB in 2024-25.

The year-on-year increase compared to 2023-24, when data consumption was 25,141 PB, stood at 10.96%. This sharp rise comes from increased use of streaming platforms, online education, e-commerce, and mobile apps.

Surge in Broadband Users

Broadband subscribers grew from 127.6 million in 2022-23 to 150 million in 2024-25, marking a 17.55% increase and an 8.47% increase from the 138.3 million recorded in 2023-24. Broadband penetration also climbed from 53.6% to 60.8% during this period, up by 13.43% in three years and 6.67% compared to last year.

Telecom Users on the Rise

Telecom subscribers reached 200 million in 2024-25, growing by 3.36% from 193.5 million in 2022-23 and 2.51% compared to 195.1 million in 2023-24. Despite high saturation levels, teledensity remained stable at 81.21%, compared to 80.5% last year and 81.4% in 2022-23. The modest change in teledensity suggests a mature telecom market with limited room for subscriber growth.

Network expansion continued with the number of cell sites rising from 53,581 in 2022-23 to 57,888 in 2024-25, a 8.03% increase over three years and 3.78% over the past year. This infrastructure growth helped support the increasing demand for mobile and internet connectivity across urban and rural regions.

Dip in Telecom Revenue

Telecom sector revenues, however, showed a dip in 2024-25, falling to Rs. 803 billion from Rs. 955 billion in 2023-24, down 15.91%. Compared to the 2022-23 revenue of Rs. 817 billion, the decrease stood at 1.71%.

Telecom contribution to the national exchequer increased to Rs. 271 billion in 2024-25, recovering from Rs. 195.1 billion in 2023-24 but still below the 2022-23 contribution of Rs. 341 billion. Despite revenue fluctuations, the sector continues to demonstrate strong user growth.