Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja has announced that Pakistan will auction double the current internet spectrum as part of its plan to launch 5G across the country.
Speaking at the launch event of TikTok’s new educational initiative STEM Feed, she said the last spectrum auction took place in 2014 during the tenure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. “Currently, Pakistan is running on 274 MHz of internet spectrum. We are preparing to auction double that,” she stated, adding that once a few hurdles are cleared, the 5G rollout will begin nationwide.
She also revealed that seven submarine cables are already connected to Pakistan, and three more will be added, including the world’s largest submarine cable by the end of this year.
Addressing the education and skills landscape, she said that Pakistan needs to match the pace of a changing world. “Connectivity was once a major issue even in our schools. By December, all federal educational institutions will be connected to fiber optic networks,” she said. Shaza Fatima also announced that one million children will be trained in artificial intelligence under this year’s digital skills plan. “Women in our country are talented and hardworking, and we must make all public spaces safe and inclusive for them,” she added.
Shaza Fatima highlighted the government’s broader digital goals, including the launch of the Digital Nation Act passed in January this year, which aims to create a digital identity for every child in Pakistan. “Everything related to a person—education, health, or business—will be digitized through this initiative,” she explained.
The event, hosted by TikTok, marked the launch of STEM Feed, an initiative aimed at promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education among youth. Minister of State for Education Wajiha Qamar stated that the platform would take learning beyond the classroom and place it in the hands of students. “Through STEM Feed, various institutions can work together rather than in silos,” she remarked, calling it a collaborative step for education in Pakistan.