HOW CONNECTED ARE PAKISTANIS? CPRsouth 5 Xi’an 06 Dec 2010 ARZAK KHAN

“Broadband is termed as a key enabler of the information society, increasing productivity and competitiveness across all sectors of the economy and hence has been made a policy objective in many developing countries for future digital development” Future Built on Broadband

 It is also believed that widespread broadband adoption and usage can extend the ICT revolution and further improve national and regional productivity, helping to promote robust economic growth and increase the standard of living especially in poor developing countries like Pakistan.

 Population: 180 Million  HDI: 60.3% of Pakistanis live on less than $2 a day.  Internet Penetration: 11.5%  Broadband Penetration: 0.29%  Cell Phone Penetration: 61.8%

 To facilitate the growth of broadband Internet in the country PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority), at the behest of the government, undertook a major initiative in 2004 “to encourage the diffusion of affordable and high speed broadband Internet access”.  As part of this initiative, it was recommended that broadband Internet access be made available to all households, so that they could actively participate in the information revolution and contribute to the socio economic development.

ALL BROADBAND ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

 To further investigate the policy initiative and understand the diffusion and adoption patterns of broadband across Pakistan this pioneer research was undertaken in three cities of Pakistan.  672 households were interviewed in Karachi, Lahore and Quetta belonging to different socio-economic demographics. Research Locations

 A household’s decision to subscribe to broadband is influenced by a number of factors such as income, education, availability and affordability of technology.

Using Broadband to Participate in the Information Society

He was a dialup Internet user

 A reasonable conclusion is that despite government claims of connecting Pakistani households to the Internet, it has failed to reach the most disadvantaged segments of Pakistani society.  Pakistanis who are not online are those who are disadvantaged by income or education, and as such are a tangible expression of the failure of existing policies to provide equal access to the information society.

 If the potential of the information economy is to be maximised, then everyone needs access of one form or another to the Internet. One aspect of this is ensuring that costs are brought down to such a point that affordability is maximised, while another is providing a plurality of access mechanisms to ensure that no one part of Pakistani society is excluded.

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