Budget 2026-27: GSMA pushes for affordable mobile services, devices

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has urged the government to rationalise telecom sector taxes, enhance affordability of mobile services and devices, and simplify the fiscal regime in its budget proposals for 2026-27 to spur digital investment and accelerate connectivity growth in Pakistan. In a letter addressed to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, the global telecom industry body called for a “more balanced and predictable fiscal framework” to help operators accelerate network expansion, improve service quality, and expand connectivity to underserved populations. The body urged the government to introduce sweeping fiscal reforms in the upcoming Finance Bill 2026–27, warning that high sector-specific taxes and burdensome levies were constraining investment in the country’s digital future.