The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reported substantial social media usage in Pakistan on November 3, with around 100 million users each on TikTok and WhatsApp and 96 million on YouTube. The figures were shared by PTA Chairman Hafeez-ur-Rehman during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology.

According to the briefing, YouTube has approximately 560 million views daily from Pakistan, while around 150 million users watch and upload content on TikTok. WhatsApp users make nearly one billion calls and send 12 billion messages daily.

Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja highlighted growing data consumption driven by social media and artificial intelligence (AI). She said that 1.8 million users were accessing 5G services being rolled out in 24 cities.

Khawaja also cited the theft of mobile towers, diesel and generators as factors disrupting telecommunications services and affecting service quality.