Business Recorder
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Pakistan’s IT exports are expected to surpass USD 4.5 billion during the current fiscal year, adding that the government aims at increasing them to USD 25 billion over the next five years. During the question hour session of the National Assembly on Thursday, the Minister said that Pakistan’s IT sector is making a significant contribution to Pakistan’s economy with increasing foreign exchange earnings. She said that IT services export remittances surged 19.7 percent, reaching USD 3.38 billion during the first 9 months of FY 2025-26 (Jul–Mar), compared to USD 2.8 billion achieved during the corresponding period last year (FY 2024-25). She said the IT services export amounted to USD 413 million in Mar 2026, a 20 percent increase over USD 344 million in March 2025. She said that Tech Freelancer exports, included in the IT services remittances inflow, surged to USD 856.3 million during Jul-March 2026 compared to USD 567.5 million during the corresponding period last year, showing an increase of 51 percent. She added that freelancer exports were USD779.2 million in FY2024-25. Answering another supplementary question, the Minister informed the house that the government is taking major steps to improve digital connectivity and expand telecom infrastructure across the country. She said that spectrum availability has been expanded by 480 MHz, representing an increase of more than 200 percent compared to previous resources, which would place Pakistan among the leading countries in spectrum capacity. He said the spectrum auction would significantly improve the quality of telecom services, with average 4G internet speeds expected to increase from 4 Mbps to nearly 20 Mbps, while initial 5G services could provide speeds of up to 50 Mbps. She said the rollout of 5G services would begin progressively from provincial capitals and later expand to other cities across the country. Alluding to the recent spectrum auction, the Minister for Information Technology said the 4G service will improve, and 5G will be available in the federal capital and the four provincial capitals in the next few months. Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Pakistan’s telecom sector is moving from older technologies to advanced digital systems through the transition from 2G to 4G services and the introduction of VoLTE and VoWiFi technologies, the deployment of Massive MIMO, and the gradual phase-out of 3G services. She said the fibre-to-site ratio would increase from 20 percent to 35 percent to improve network capacity and service quality. She added that future spectrum auctions and licensing for Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan would include similar rollout obligations to ensure balanced telecom development across the country. About industry-led training programs, she said that the project is geared to provide large-scale training to 100,000 students and 100 faculty members in high-demand technologies, including 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, and Data Centres, thereby strengthening practical industry readiness. Responding to another question, the Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications informed the House that the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) has launched and is developing several digital platforms to promote Pakistan’s IT industry in international markets. She said TechdestiNation.com is serving as Pakistan’s flagship platform to showcase the country’s capabilities in more than 30 technology sectors, including Artificial Intelligence, FinTech, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, EdTech, and Gaming, while also promoting foreign investment and global partnerships. She said the Tech Connect Portal, currently under development, will link overseas Pakistani technology professionals with local IT firms to encourage business partnerships, mentorship, and investment opportunities. The minister further informed the House that the JICA-Pakistan B2B Portal is also being developed in collaboration with JICA to strengthen business cooperation between Pakistani and Japanese technology companies through digital matchmaking and technology collaboration. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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