ISLAMABAD ( SPECIAL REPORT )
PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) has just announced that the number of cellular service subscribers has crossed the 150 million mark in May 2018. Through the first quarter of 2018, the mobile service subscribers in Pakistan have increased by 10.5 million.
Orders have been issued by The Chairman of PTA that a reported that highlights the telecommunication performance of PTA during the past few years should be delivered.
The latest statistics released by PTA indicate the increase in the number of mobile phone users in Pakistan. According to the reports, the number of cellular subscribers has increased to 120.2 million during the past 7 years. Since most of the people are now aware of the importance of mobile phones in order to remain connected 24/7 to their friends and family. There is also a significant increase in the number of internet users during the past few years. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Whatsapp are now popular among masses.
The report released by PTA in May 2018 reveals that the 3G/4G subscribers are now 55 Million in number, while the broadband subscription rate has also increased to 58 Million users in Pakistan. The latest data indicates that the market is ripe now for mobile phones, internet service providers and as well as for mobile apps. That would definitely increase the living standards of ordinary Pakistani people. About 55.5 million out of the total population of Pakistan that is about 200 million are the cellular subscribers, so we can say that Pakistan is emerging as the strong digital economy in 2018.
There are about 150.32 Million annual cellular subscribers as per latest figures, moreover, the telecom investment has faced a decline during 2016-17 that was $634.9 million. It should be noted that in 2016-17 the revenues generated by Telecom industry have increased to about Rs 464113 Million from 457024 Million. If we have a look at the Cellular market share as of May 2018, Jazz has been able to secure the highest 36.93 % market share. While Telenor, Ufone, and Zong were able to grab a market share of 28.92 %, 20.61 % and 13.50 % respectively. With the approval of 5G technology in the country by the federal cabinet of Pakistan in 2017, PTA is going to launch the 5G technology by 2020. PTA is all set to conduct the initial tests for the 5G technology.