IT Minister Defends Proposed Telecom Bill for 5G and Modern Tech

Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar clarified on Sunday that the owner’s consent is mandatory for the installation of any telecom infrastructure on private property. He confirmed this provision is clearly stated in the revised draft of “The Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) (Amendment) Bill.”

Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad alongside Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Tarar explained that the previous draft, passed by the National Assembly with six amendments, had raised concerns in the Senate Standing Committee regarding its wording. The revised bill, he added, provides clearer definitions for terms like ‘right-of-way’ and ‘infrastructure’ to eliminate ambiguity.

IT Minister Shaza Fatima noted that the original 2006 law required updates to meet modern connectivity needs. She highlighted that Pakistan’s data consumption has risen by approximately 25% in the last two years, necessitating stronger infrastructure. She stated that the rollout of 5G will require significant investment in fiber networks and telecom towers, noting that Pakistan currently has fewer than three million fiber-to-home connections.

Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, alongside Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, defended the proposed Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) (Amendment) Bill 2026 in a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday. The minister stressed that the existing legal framework, the Telecommunication Act of 1996, was enacted when 2G technology was in use and is no longer sufficient for modern technologies like 5G.

The bill, approved by the National Assembly on June 11, is currently under review by a special committee following controversy over some of its clauses. Ms. Khawaja highlighted that the amendments are necessary to accommodate a nearly 25% increase in data consumption over the past two years, driven by population growth and digital adoption.

The minister stated the bill aims to facilitate investment in digital infrastructure, expand high-speed internet access, and remove regulatory hurdles. She noted that spectrum availability has increased from 274MHz to approximately 750MHz through a recent auction. Additionally, the number of households with fibre-based internet has risen from 3 million to over 5 million in the last two years, out of a population of around 240 million.

The government’s goal is to support the nationwide rollout of modern telecommunications services, which requires extensive infrastructure, including fibre-optic networks and telecom towers.