Millions of Pakistanis Still Can’t Afford a Smartphone or the Loan to Buy One

For Pakistanis who cannot afford a smartphone upfront, paying in installments could offer a practical way to get online. Yet those who most need this option often lack the documented income and borrowing history required to qualify, leaving them without a device that could help them find work, study or run a small business.

A person earning through daily wages or informal trade may be able to set aside money for regular payments while having little formal evidence of that ability. For financing providers, this creates a challenge: assessing repayment capacity without reliable records of earnings or previous borrowing. The difficulty is particularly acute for consumers on lower incomes who remain outside conventional banking and credit systems.

Pakistan’s Digital Access Gap

The scale of Pakistan’s digital access challenge is substantial. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ Household Integrated Economic Survey 2024-25 found that 50 percent of people aged 10 and above owned a mobile phone, including smartphones. Ownership stood at 69 percent among males and 31 percent among females, highlighting significant disparities in access to personal devices.

Network coverage alone has not closed this gap. A GSMA report published in August 2025 estimated that mobile broadband covered 81 percent of Pakistan’s population, while 29 percent used mobile internet in 2024. Affordability, digital literacy and trust were among the barriers identified.

For households managing tight budgets, the upfront price of a smartphone, influenced by import dependence, duties and taxes, competes with essential expenses such as food, rent and education. Installment financing can spread that cost over time, making ownership more manageable for consumers who cannot afford a device outright.

Credit Barriers Restrict Smartphone Financing

Pakistan already has initiatives addressing this need. Providers such as Kistpay offer smartphones on installments, including through partnerships with telecom operators. However, expanding these offerings to underserved consumers remains difficult.

Limited credit histories, undocumented incomes, financing costs and concerns over repayment risks can restrict access, particularly for those who do not meet conventional lending criteria.

Making smartphone financing accessible to these consumers requires approaches that better reflect their financial circumstances. Verified financial activity, alongside appropriate affordability checks, could help lenders assess a wider pool of potential borrowers while maintaining responsible lending standards.

Open Banking Could Expand Access to Credit

The State Bank of Pakistan’s draft Open Banking Regulations, released for public consultation on October 30, 2026, could offer another avenue for alternative credit assessment through secure sharing of financial data with customers’ consent. If implemented, this could help lenders assess applicants who have financial transaction records but limited borrowing histories.

Finalizing the proposed smartphone financing framework could also give providers greater certainty around repayment and the handling of persistent defaults, helping them extend installment plans to more consumers currently excluded from credit.

Telecom Operators Seek Regulatory Support

In a joint letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority dated May 7, 2026, Jazz, PTCL/Ufone, Telenor and Zong called for regulatory intervention to support wider device financing, including SIM blocking as an ultimate measure, based on customer consent and consumer protection safeguards. The submission reflects a shared position among the four operators on the need for credible measures to manage persistent defaults.

Implementation could follow a graduated process, beginning with payment reminders, advance notice and opportunities to settle overdue amounts, followed by restrictions on the financed handset, with SIM blocking considered only as a last resort.

The detailed sequence and safeguards would need to be agreed among stakeholders. These should include proportionate limits, accessible dispute resolution, provisions for genuine financial hardship, protection for essential communication and prompt restoration once overdue payments are cleared. The operators also proposed reviewing the framework’s effectiveness after an initial year.

Lower Smartphone Prices Remain Important

Alongside financing reforms, reducing the upfront cost of smartphones remains important. Measures to make basic smartphones more affordable, including a review of applicable duties and taxes, could help bring ownership within reach of more households on lower incomes. Such efforts would complement financing initiatives by addressing the underlying cost barrier.

With smartphones increasingly serving as gateways to education, employment, digital payments and essential services, limited device ownership risks widening the divide between those who can participate in the digital economy and those who cannot.

Progress on the financing framework, alongside efforts to improve affordability and credit assessment, could help more people acquire a device they can use to learn, earn and manage everyday life. Its success would depend on financing terms that reflect household budgets and recovery arrangements that balance repayment accountability with consumer protection.

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