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

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.
• Topping up their data? See how much tax goes out of each recharge with the mobile load tax calculator.
• Keeping them safe: show them how to check which SIMs are registered on their CNIC, and how to spot fake NADRA websites. 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.