Pakistan logs 560 million YouTube video views every day, making it the top nation globally for video consumption on the platform, according to statements made by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman. The head of the regulatory authority shared the figures during an official briefing before the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication.
Massive Engagement Across Video and Messaging Apps
During the committee session, the PTA chief outlined detailed usage figures across major digital platforms operating in the country. Rehman stated that approximately 96 million people in Pakistan currently use YouTube. The high volume of daily video plays highlights the heavy reliance on streaming media among the country’s connected population.
The briefing also highlighted significant engagement on short-form video and messaging services. According to Rehman, TikTok maintains 100 million registered user accounts within Pakistan, while approximately 150 million Pakistanis watch video content on the platform. Meanwhile, Meta-owned WhatsApp has reached 100 million user accounts nationwide. Activity on the communication platform is exceptionally dense, with users in Pakistan placing roughly 1 billion WhatsApp voice and video calls and transmitting approximately 12 billion messages on a daily basis.
Data Demands Spurred by Social Platforms and Artificial Intelligence
Addressing the legislative committee alongside the telecom regulator, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja noted that the rapid adoption of social media applications and artificial intelligence tools has sharply escalated overall data consumption across domestic networks. The surge in media streaming, voice traffic, and messaging has placed unprecedented demands on local mobile carriers to transport larger volumes of data.
Khawaja addressed the historical progression of domestic spectrum allocation, noting that no spectrum auctions were conducted after the departure of Nawaz Sharif’s government, which had originally introduced 4G services to the nation. By contrast, she pointed out that the current administration has moved forward with holding a 5G spectrum auction to support evolving network requirements.
5G Rollout and Infrastructure Challenges
According to figures provided by the IT minister, commercial 5G connectivity is expanding across the country, currently reaching 24 cities. Khawaja reported that active 5G adoption stands at 1.8 million subscribers and is rapidly approaching the 2 million mark. Officials indicated that ongoing work is underway to enhance coverage and service quality as more consumers transition to the faster wireless standard.
Despite the growth in connectivity, telecom infrastructure in Pakistan faces severe physical and operational disruptions. Khawaja explained to lawmakers that network reliability frequently suffers due to criminal activity targeting critical installations. The minister revealed that entire telecommunications towers have been stolen, along with the backup diesel fuel and generators necessary to keep cellular base stations operational during power outages.
In addition to infrastructure security concerns, regulatory oversight on messaging services remains active. The PTA has recently initiated enforcement actions to block WhatsApp accounts that remain associated with inactive SIM cards across the country’s cellular networks.
