ISLAMABAD (special crosspondent) – High-level representatives from Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments, Gilgit-Baltistan, industry leaders, regulatory bodies, and development partners convened for the GSMA Digital Nation Pakistan Ministerial Roundtable. The forum focused on accelerating the trajectory of the nation’s rapidly expanding digital sector and establishing actionable strategies to meet the ambitious targets of the Digital Pakistan 2030 agenda. This roundtable served as a critical platform where stakeholders from across the spectrum, including federal ministries, the four provincial governments, representatives from Gilgit-Baltistan, the national regulator, mobile industry executives, and international development partners, deliberated on a unified roadmap. The broad-based participation underscored a growing national consensus that achieving the Digital Pakistan 2030 vision requires seamless collaboration between the federal government, provincial administrations, industry players, and development partners to Pakistan Accelerates Digital Reforms to Boost Connectivity and Economic Growth. To facilitate these discussions, the GSMA released a new discussion paper titled, ‘Digital Pakistan 2030: Building Momentum for Sustainable Investment, Trust, and Inclusive Growth.’ The document highlights Pakistan’s recent advancements and outlines five strategic priorities designed to translate current momentum into tangible, long-term socio-economic outcomes. The report points to significant progress in spectrum policy, the expansion of mobile internet and smartphone adoption, women’s digital inclusion, digital trust, cybersecurity, and enhanced government-industry collaboration. While these steps have established a solid foundation for future development, the report emphasizes that sustaining this momentum requires a stable and trustworthy investment climate, resilient digital infrastructure, and effective implementation throughout the digital ecosystem. Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific at GSMA, remarked, ‘Pakistan has established strong foundations for digital development, with significant progress visible over the past year. The significance of today’s roundtable is that it brought together leaders from government, industry, and development sectors to evaluate the practical steps required to maintain this pace. The achievement of Digital Pakistan 2030 targets depends on continuous collaboration, shared priorities, and cohesive implementation.’

Digital Pakistan 2030 Priorities

The GSMA discussion paper proposes five strategic pillars to reinforce Pakistan’s digital momentum: creating a sustainable and reliable environment for investment based on recent spectrum reforms, fostering long-term digital infrastructure investment, and accelerating digital inclusion through affordable services, digital skills, rural connectivity, and gender-inclusive policies. Furthermore, the report calls for investments in 5G readiness, fiber networks, data centers, and robust energy systems to prepare for an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven economy. Ensuring a secure digital infrastructure through cybersecurity, digital identity, child safety, and fraud prevention measures is also identified as a top priority. The report outlines a ‘Digital Pakistan 2030 Action Agenda’ comprising five core initiatives: establishing a sustainable investment environment, accelerating digital inclusion, building trusted infrastructure, preparing for an AI-driven economy, and strengthening national coordination. These initiatives provide a practical framework to translate current progress into measurable results. The event concluded with a ‘Call to Action,’ reaffirming the commitment of all stakeholders to maintain Pakistan’s digital growth through sustained investment and coordination.

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organization representing the mobile ecosystem, dedicated to fostering innovation that supports positive business environments and social development. The organization’s vision is to leverage the full potential of connectivity to create new opportunities for individuals, industries, and society at large. GSMA represents mobile operators and organizations across the mobile ecosystem, providing services in ‘Connectivity for Good,’ ‘Industry Services and Solutions,’ and ‘Outreach.’ For more information, media contacts can be directed to the GSMA Press Office at pressoffice@gsma.com.