June 7, 2022 – Nearly half of Pakistan’s population remains disconnected from any kind of digital resources, according to a new research launched by Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD).
The research, titled “Connecting the Disconnected: Mapping Gaps in Digital Access in Pakistan”, aims to explore the barriers people experience in accessing digital resources and the overall situation for open and equitable access to the internet in Pakistan. It investigates how people, who remain unconnected to the digital world, are left even more marginalised in the wake of increasing internet ubiquity.
Through a thorough analysis of 24 indicators categorised into five themes, the research highlights the gaps with regard to the internet by examining Pakistan’s legal and regulatory framework and whether it effectively deals with universal and equitable access; changes in infrastructure for broadband and mobile internet over the last five years; demographics linked to geography, socio-economic class, education and gender and how they impact individuals’ access to the internet; and whether citizens have the literacy or skills that enable them to use the internet to its full potential.
Infrastructural barriers persist
The study has found that although there are policies in place to promote universal internet access in Pakistan, there are no strategies for their implementation. The Digital Pakistan Policy (2018) prioritises public access through telecentres and IT zones, but their implementation also remains unclear.
It further finds that even though internet and telecom service providers are granted projects to extend fibre optics in disconnected areas, such as in areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, the regions largely remain underserved and lack meaningful access. Telenor, Zong and Ufone have been awarded licences by the PTA to extend Next Generation Mobile Services in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, but there has been no public update on the provisions of these services.
The study also emphasises on the need to make the internet and digital devices affordable in the country, based on the findings that even though Pakistan has the cheapest mobile internet packages, they remain out of reach for the masses owing to their low buying power. Past research and interviews have established that these tariffs continue to be expensive for people. The increased taxation on digital devices and mobile tariffs has worsened the situation in the country.
Telecom companies were found to be engaging in price wars owing to the absence of price control regulators, resulting in quality deterioration.
Lack of inclusive internet remains a challenge
The research finds that inclusivity is not a priority on Pakistani internet, leading to widening of digital divide. As far as languages are concerned, English is given priority at the government level. Most government websites operate in English with no option to toggle between or switch to local languages. Although making the internet inclusive through content development around local languages is part of the Digital Pakistan policy, little progress has been made towards achieving this goal.
What needs to be done
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the internet has become a highly significant part of our lives and proved to be an equally bankable resource with countless opportunities that it has to offer. But the existing digital divide in Pakistan will only aggravate the conditions of the disconnected by depriving them of the internet’s full potential and crucial technical developments.
To ensure digital inclusion, the government must work towards installing, expanding, utilising and expanding the existing infrastructure to expand broadband services in disconnected areas. To increase affordability of broadband services, market growth needs to be encouraged on a policy level. It is also imperative for the government to prioritise countrywide digital literacy training and production of online content in Urdu, Pashto, Punjabi, Balochi and other local languages as it can be effective in bridging the widening digital divide and making the internet more inclusive.
It is essential that the internet economy works for everyone, all policies and regulations related to the internet follow a rights respecting model, and a collaborative approach to security is adopted with an increased accountability for data handlers. The objective of a “Digital Pakistan” can only truly be achieved through accessible internet and affordable digital devices for all.
