Pakistan - Broadband and the Internet Market

Synopsis

Internet access has been available in Pakistan since the mid-1990s. PTCL started offering access via the nationwide local call network in 1995. By 2010 Internet penetration remained low, with just over 11% of the population estimated to be users. There were signs that this was changing, however. The country has been pursuing an aggressive IT policy, aimed at boosting Pakistan’s drive for economic modernisation and creating an exportable software industry in much the same way as in India. There is no doubt that this has been helping increase the popularity of the Internet. The market certainly has huge potential, but there is a long way to go. Broadband access remained extremely limited (a subscriber penetration of 0.5% by mid-2010), but there were strong signs that this sector of the market was starting to expand. The number of broadband subscribers had jumped by more 100% in the year to June 2010. This report looks at the development of Internet, including broadband, in Pakistan and provides some information on the country’s e-commerce market.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Internet market
  • 2.1 Overview
  • 2.2 Internet and broadband statistics
  • 2.3 Major government initiatives
  • 2.4 Internet control and censorship
  • 2.5 ISP market
    • 2.5.1 ISPs
    • 2.5.2 Market developments
• 3. E-services
  • 3.1 E-commerce
    • 3.1.1 E-commerce action plan
  • 3.2 E-government
• 4. Broadband market
  • 4.1 Overview
    • 4.1.1 Infrastructure development
    • 4.1.2 Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL)
  • 4.2 Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
  • 4.3 Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH)
  • 4.4 Cable modem
  • 4.5 Wireless broadband
    • 4.5.1 WiMAX
    • 4.5.2 Internet via satellite
• 5. Related reports

• Table 1 – Internet users – 1995 - 2012
• Table 2 – Internet subscribers – 1997; 2000 - 2012
• Table 3 – Broadband subscribers (fixed) – 2004 - 2012
• Table 4 – Broadband subscribers and households – 2010
• Table 5 – Total international Internet bandwidth – 2004 - 2010
• Table 6 – Broadband subscribers by type – 2009 - 2011
• Table 7 – PTCL broadband subscribers – 2007 - 2010
• Table 8 – DSL broadband subscribers – 2005 - 2011
• Table 9 – FttH subscribers – 2007 - 2011
• Table 10 – WiMAX subscribers – 2008 - 2011