By the end of November 2024, Pakistan’s cellular subscriber base reached an impressive 193.24 million, with a mobile teledensity of 79.10 percent, as per data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Additionally, mobile broadband subscribers surged to 139 million, pushing the mobile penetration rate to 56.90 percent.
Fixed telephone subscribers numbered 3 million, reflecting a fixed teledensity of 1.10 percent, while the broadband subscriber base totaled 143 million, with a broadband penetration rate of 58.39 percent.
In response to rising concerns over the spread of fake news, Parliamentary Secretary Sajid Mehdi informed the National Assembly that the government had blocked 86,000 SIM cards linked to anti-state activities. This announcement came during a discussion on the government’s efforts to tackle misinformation on social media platforms. Mehdi also revealed that the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) had been blocked to combat fake news, and VPN usage has been restricted to prevent the flow of misinformation.
Looking ahead, the government plans to introduce amendments to the Electronic Crimes Act to further strengthen regulations against the dissemination of fake news.
