According to a recent report from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the consumption of broadband internet in Pakistan continues to grow at a steady pace. This is reflected in the average monthly consumption of data, which increased to 6.8 GB per user in the outgoing financial year 2021-22 (FY22). Every Pakistani broadband user consumed 81 GB of data in FY22, showing double-digit growth of 11 percent compared to the average yearly internet consumption of 73 GB per person in FY21.
The report also revealed that during the period under review, 8,970 petabytes of mobile data usage was reported in Pakistan, indicating a 31 percent increase from the previous year. It’s worth noting that just five years ago, mobile data usage in the country stood at 1,262 petabytes. The increasing penetration of broadband services has propelled the active use of data services by Pakistanis.
The growth in data consumption can be attributed to high-speed internet along with different internet packages offered by mobile phone companies on a daily to monthly basis. The majority of users consume data for accessing social media platforms including WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
It’s worth noting that social media users have also increased significantly in Pakistan. An estimated 70 million social media users are currently active on different platforms. Besides social media, citizens consume data for shopping through e-commerce platforms, mobile banking, and browsing.
In conclusion, the PTA report shows that the consumption of broadband internet in Pakistan continues to grow, with an increase in average monthly consumption of data and double-digit growth in yearly internet consumption. The increasing penetration of broadband services, along with high-speed internet and internet packages offered by mobile phone companies, are driving the growth in data consumption. Social media usage remains a significant contributor to data consumption.
