PTA says Pakistan ranks first globally in YouTube video viewing

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeezur Rehman said Pakistan ranks first in the world in YouTube video viewing. He made the remarks on Tuesday while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT and Telecom on social media usage in the country.

The chairman told the committee that 96 million Pakistanis currently use YouTube and that 560 million videos are watched on the platform in Pakistan every day.

He also gave figures for other platforms. According to the PTA chairman, TikTok has 100 million users in Pakistan, and 150 million Pakistanis watch and upload videos on it. Daily Times reported that he described the 100 million as registered accounts and the 150 million as regular viewers.

On WhatsApp, the chairman said there are 100 million users in Pakistan. He said Pakistanis make one billion calls and send 12 billion messages on the app every day.

Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja told the committee that social media and AI have sharply increased data consumption in Pakistan. She said no spectrum auction had been held since the government led by Nawaz Sharif, which left the country with 4G services.

The minister said the present government has held a 5G spectrum auction. According to her, 1.8 million people now use 5G in Pakistan, and the service is being introduced in 24 cities.

Shaza Fatima said steps are being taken to improve telecom services. She named theft as one cause of disruptions, saying entire towers, diesel and generators are being stolen.

Daily Times also reported that she said IT exports have reached 3.14 billion dollars in the current fiscal year, and that the government aims to raise them to 5 billion dollars by next year.