Pakistan mobile data cost currently stands at just Rs285 per month on average, according to IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja. She shared this figure at a National Assembly Standing Committee meeting this week. At the same meeting, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed that 5G services are now live across 22 cities. The big question for ordinary users is simple: how long can data stay this cheap?
What the NA Committee Actually Heard
Federal Minister for IT Shaza Fatima told lawmakers that broadband usage had expanded rapidly, with 97% of Pakistanis now using broadband internet, while average monthly internet spending stood at Rs285 per user. That number sounds surprisingly low, and it is. It reflects a market where most people buy small, budget data bundles and where competition among operators has kept prices down for years.
The minister also highlighted operational challenges, saying persistent electricity load shedding continued to affect network availability, while increasing data consumption and years of underinvestment had placed significant pressure on telecom infrastructure.
The committee, chaired by Syed Aminul Haque, expressed serious concern over persistent complaints of poor voice and data services across the country and directed Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTML) to appear before its next meeting to explain the operator’s performance.
5G Is Live, But the Scale Is Still Very Small
Pakistan currently has 449 active 5G tower sites operating across 22 cities, the PTA informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology on Monday. That sounds like progress, and it is. But to put it in perspective, Pakistan’s total telecom market has more than 207 million mobile and fixed-line subscriptions and 58,423 cell sites, according to the Economic Survey 2025-26. So 449 5G sites is a very small slice of a very large pie.
The rollout is also built on existing towers rather than brand-new 5G infrastructure. No new infrastructure has been deployed so far, and 5G services have been enabled on existing mobile towers and network infrastructure. Dedicated new infrastructure would be deployed gradually in subsequent phases, expected to improve internet speed and service quality across the country over the next six to eight months.
Karachi currently has 50 active 5G sites while Hyderabad has only three. One lawmaker warned that if deployment continues at the current pace, nationwide 5G rollout may not be completed until 2035, by which time the technology could already be outdated.
Load Shedding Is a Real Threat to Network Uptime
One challenge that does not get enough attention in 5G coverage is electricity. According to the PTA chairman, Pakistan experienced an average of 10 hours of load-shedding in May, while some areas faced outages lasting up to 18 hours. A 5G tower that loses power is, simply, a dead tower.
The Prime Minister has constituted a committee to examine whether telecom towers could be exempted from load-shedding. IT Minister Shaza Fatima said telecom companies had started outsourcing their towers and that the committee would make recommendations regarding their electricity supply and operational requirements.
The minister argued that consumers continued to pay for internet services even during power outages and should therefore not lose connectivity because telecom towers lacked electricity. She said the government was also working with the private sector on the solarisation and modernisation of telecom towers.
The parliamentary committee also recommended a practical fix: the use of alternative energy sources for telecom infrastructure, particularly wind and solar power, directing the Ministry of IT to encourage telecom operators to gradually install renewable energy systems at telecom sites.
Will Pakistan Mobile Data Cost Go Up With 5G?
This is the question most Pakistanis will actually care about. The Rs285 average reflects 4G and basic broadband usage today. When 5G matures, operators will need to recover the cost of spectrum, tower upgrades, and fibre connections. Following the landmark spectrum auction by the PTA, which raised over $507 million, mobile network operators have initiated early-stage network configurations. That is a huge investment to recoup.
There is also the device problem. Lawmakers at the committee raised the issue of high taxation on mobile phones, terming smartphones a basic necessity rather than a luxury item. PTA Chairman Major General (Retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman said taxes and duties on smartphones were as high as 60%, discouraging digital adoption. A 5G phone is already more expensive than a 4G one, and a 60% tax on top makes it even harder for ordinary users to access the new network.
On the infrastructure side, fibre connectivity is another weak point. Industry officials have long cited weak network infrastructure as a major obstacle, and only 14 to 19 percent of telecom towers are connected to fibre networks, leaving most users dependent on mobile broadband services. Without fibre backhaul, 5G towers cannot deliver the speeds the technology promises.
For readers interested in how regulators are trying to make devices more affordable alongside the 5G push, see our coverage of PTA’s move to cut eSIM prices in Pakistan, which is part of the same broader push to lower the cost of getting online.
What the Spectrum Expansion Actually Means
The PTA chairman briefed the committee that the total available spectrum in the country previously stood at 274 MHz but had increased to 754 MHz after the 5G spectrum auction. More spectrum means more room for data traffic, which should help with congestion. But spectrum alone does not fix towers that go dark during load shedding or users who cannot afford a 5G handset.
Operators Jazz and Zong are already live on 5G. Only Jazz and Zong are currently offering 5G services, while Ufone has not yet started its rollout. Coverage is also uneven within cities. The ‘major cities’ coverage is mostly premium areas: business districts, upscale residential zones, universities, and commercial centres. Working-class neighbourhoods and peripheral areas remain firmly in 4G or 3G territory.
You can also check how other connectivity options are developing by reading about PTA’s push for satellite internet approval, which could serve areas where 5G towers simply will not reach for years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average mobile data cost in Pakistan right now?
The IT minister told the National Assembly committee that the average Pakistani spends Rs285 per month on internet services. This covers both mobile data and fixed broadband users.
How many 5G towers does Pakistan have and where?
Pakistan has 449 active 5G tower sites across 22 cities. Coverage is heavily concentrated in major urban centres. Karachi has 50 active 5G sites, while smaller cities like Hyderabad have just three. Most 5G sites use upgraded existing 4G towers, not brand-new infrastructure.
Why does load shedding matter for 5G in Pakistan?
Telecom towers need electricity to stay on. With some areas facing up to 18 hours of power outages per day, towers go offline and users lose connectivity even if they are paying for a service. The government is reviewing whether telecom towers should be exempted from load shedding and is exploring solar and wind power as backup options.
Will 5G make mobile data more expensive for Pakistanis?
Not necessarily right away, since early 5G runs on existing towers and operators will compete for users. But as dedicated 5G infrastructure rolls out and operators look to recover over $507 million in spectrum costs, premium 5G plans will almost certainly cost more than today’s Rs285 average. Device costs are also a barrier: smartphone taxes of up to 60% make 5G handsets out of reach for many users.
