Key Takeaways
- Pakistan ranks among the top countries globally by the absolute number of people in the mobile internet usage gap.
- The GSMA report highlights affordability, digital skills, and connectivity challenges as key barriers.
- Addressing demand-side barriers is crucial for broader digital inclusion in Pakistan.
Pakistan has emerged as one of the countries with the world’s largest mobile internet usage gaps, with around 140 million people living within mobile broadband coverage but not using mobile internet, according to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA) report ‘State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2026’.
The report places Pakistan’s gap at around 140 million people, alongside Nigeria, while India has the largest gap at 710 million. This highlights the significant challenge faced by the country in bridging the digital divide.
The GSMA warns that the world risks creating a new global divide between AI ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ unless urgent action is taken to address the digital divide and make smartphones affordable for billions of people in low- and middle-income countries.
For Pakistan, the barriers to greater use of mobile internet include connectivity experience, safety and security concerns, and literacy and digital skills, with the pattern differing between urban and rural users. This means that simply investing in faster networks and newer technologies will not automatically translate into broader digital inclusion.
The report identifies literacy and digital skills, affordability, and relevance as key barriers reported in Pakistan, while family-related restrictions also emerge as a country-specific barrier. The GSMA says handset affordability, literacy, and digital skills remain the leading barriers to mobile internet adoption globally among people who are already aware of mobile internet.
Safety and security concerns are another significant deterrent. For Pakistan, the report points towards a policy agenda centred on cheaper smartphones, stronger digital-literacy programmes, better-quality connectivity, and safer online access, particularly for underserved communities.
Across low- and middle-income countries, an entry-level internet-enabled handset represented 44 percent of average monthly income for the poorest 20 percent at the end of 2025. The GSMA estimates that reducing entry-level device prices to USD 20–30 could make smartphones affordable to an additional 1.6–2.2 billion people globally.
Pakistan could therefore benefit from policies that promote the availability of low-cost smartphones, encourage local assembly and competition in the handset market, and improve financing options for first-time smartphone buyers. Addressing these barriers is essential for the country to fully leverage the benefits of the digital economy.
