# 140 million Pakistanis have mobile internet coverage but don't use it: GSMA

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/technology/140-million-pakistanis-have-mobile-internet-coverage-but-dont-use-it-gsma)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 16 Sept 2026
Updated: 16 Sept 2026
Retrieved: 16 Sept 2026

> The towers are there, the users are not. A new GSMA report puts Pakistan among the biggest mobile internet usage gaps in the world. Here is why, and what helps.

About **140 million people in Pakistan** live within mobile broadband coverage but do not use mobile internet, according to the GSMA's *State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2026*, as reported by Business Recorder on 16 September. That puts Pakistan among the countries with the largest "usage gap" in absolute numbers, alongside Nigeria. India's gap is the largest, at **710 million**.

## The numbers

- **Worldwide:** 4.8 billion people (59% of the world) used mobile internet at the end of 2025. **3.4 billion** still do not.
- **The usage gap:** 38% of the world's people are covered by mobile broadband but do not use it.
- **The coverage gap:** only 3% live where there is no mobile broadband signal at all.
- **Pakistan:** roughly 140 million people in the usage gap.

In other words, the problem in Pakistan is mostly not towers. The signal is there. People are not getting online.

## Why people stay offline

The GSMA lists the barriers it found in Pakistan:

1. **Handset affordability.** A smartphone is still too expensive for many households.
2. **Literacy and digital skills.** Many people do not know how to use the internet, or cannot read well enough to.
3. **Safety and security.** Fear of scams, harassment and fraud.
4. **Connectivity experience.** Slow or patchy data where people do live.
5. **Family restrictions.** The report flags this as a barrier specific to Pakistan.

Its recommendations for Pakistan: cheaper smartphones, stronger digital literacy programmes, better quality connections and safer online access. The GSMA warns that the gap risks splitting the world into AI "haves" and "have-nots".

## What it means for you

If you are the person in your family who is online, you are probably the help desk for parents, grandparents or relatives in a smaller city or village. The gap is 140 million people, and much of it closes one household at a time.

- **Buying a phone for someone?** Imported phones carry PTA registration tax, which can cost more than a budget handset. Check it first with our [PTA mobile tax calculator](/tools/telecom/pta-mobile-tax-calculator).
- **Topping up their data?** See how much tax goes out of each recharge with the [mobile load tax calculator](/tools/telecom/mobile-load-tax-calculator).
- **Keeping them safe:** show them how to [check which SIMs are registered on their CNIC](/guides/telecom/how-to-check-sims-registered-on-your-cnic-668-sms-and-cnicsimspk), and how to [spot fake NADRA websites](/news/pakistan/nadra-warns-of-fake-nadra-card-center-websites-how-to-spot-one). Scams are one of the reasons people stay offline.
- **Start with one app.** Voice notes and video calls on WhatsApp are often the first step for someone who struggles with reading.

## The bigger picture

More of daily life in Pakistan now runs through a phone: bill payments, bank transfers, the 8171 BISP check and this month's 9771 petrol relief registration by SMS. People who are not online increasingly pay more, wait longer or miss out.

## Frequently asked questions

**How many people in Pakistan do not use mobile internet despite coverage?**

About 140 million, according to the GSMA State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2026 report as reported on 16 September 2026.

## Sources

- Mobile internet usage gap: Pakistan ranks among top countries by absolute number (16 Sep 2026) (Business Recorder): https://www.brecorder.com/news/40439704/mobile-internet-usage-gap-pakistan-ranks-among-top-countries-by-absolute-number
- The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2026 (GSMA): https://www.gsma.com/r/somic/

How to cite: "140 million Pakistanis have mobile internet coverage but don't use it: GSMA", Searchable, 16 Sept 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/technology/140-million-pakistanis-have-mobile-internet-coverage-but-dont-use-it-gsma